


Beauty and the Beast

by sxctumsempra



Series: Beauty and the Beast [DM] [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, harry p
Genre: Beauty and the Beast, Draco Malfoy - Freeform, F/M, Fanfic, Fanfiction, Fifth Year, Harry Potter - Freeform, Hogwarts, Lizzie Samuels - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-21 17:14:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 60,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11361948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxctumsempra/pseuds/sxctumsempra
Summary: "La Belle et la Bête," she grinned as she held up the book in her hand."Beauty and the Beast," I translated without a second thought.Lizzie Samuels has kept her blood status to herself, until one night when the secret slips out at a party. Every Slytherin, including her best friend Draco Malfoy, begins to shun her, and one goes as far as to slip a little bit of poison into her dessert.On top of being poisoned, what happens as Draco starts to pull her into the dark world his family is involved in?[title not mine - borrowed from the original fairy tale]





	1. Chapter 1

Lizzie's POV:

"Lizzie! Come on! If I miss the train this year because of you, you'll regret it!" my older brother, Grayson, called up the stairs at me. I jumped on top of my overflowing trunk in an effort to force it shut.

"My trunk - won't - shut!" I yelled back at him, emphasizing each of my words with a jump. I didn't think that I had actually packed all that much, but my trunk was telling me otherwise. The latch wouldn't lock due to all of the items inside.

My bedroom door opened and Grayson waltzed in with an aura of authority. "Honestly, Lizzie, you won't need all of this," he sighed, removing several of my books and articles of clothing.

"No! Stop! I need all of those books! What if the house burns down while we're away?" I launched myself at him and wrenched the books from his grasp. He just did not appreciate the art of writing in the same way I did.

"The house will not burn down, Liz," he sighed at me.

"You don't know that. You know how mum forgets she's cooking," I sassed back. It was true. Our mother was known in our family for forgetting the stove on when she leaves a room, only to remember when the smoke alarms began to wail.

"Fine, how about you choose half to take and half to leave."

"Half?! Grayson!" I protested in astonishment.

"Half," he confirmed sternly. I stared at him in awe. I love my books like they are a part of me, so leaving even half of them behind was like leaving half of my soul. "Choose them now because we are leaving."

I looked down at the books in my hands and the books in my trunk. How was I ever supposed to choose half? "Hurry up or I'm going to pick them for you," Grayson threatened.

"That's impossible!" I protested, my jaw on the ground.

"Alright here, you're taking what's in your trunk, and the rest are staying here. That gives you room to shut it and still lets you take quite a few of your books." He grabbed the books from my arms and threw them on my bed. "Now let's go!" Grayson grabbed my arm and charmed my trunk to follow us down the stairs.

"There you two are!" our mother sighed with a hand on one of her round hips. "If we don't leave now, you'll miss the train. Get your bums in the car!" We all hurried to the car and stashed our trunks in the cab. Mum rushed her way through the hectic traffic to Kings Cross. We arrived with barely any time left until the train was to leave.

"I swear if this happens every year, I'm going to make you two stay home!" she shouted, stacking our trunks onto the trolley. Grayson pushed the trolley and mum and I followed him towards Platform 9 ¾.

Since Grayson is now a seventh year, he knows how to get onto the platform. My mother was not so excited to run straight into a brick wall his first year, however. As a muggle, she didn't believe in magic until the Ministry of Magic representative came to our house. Up until then, she was convinced Grayson's letter was just a prank.

After we had pushed our way through the wall, Grayson left us to load up our trunks.

"Alright dear, you have to promise me you will write me as soon as you can and tell me all about the school. I want to know what the food's like, how the professors treat you, what your bed smells like, everything," she told me with a large smile on her face, holding my hands in hers. I could see the gleam in her bright blue eyes signalling the beginning of the rush of the waterworks.

"But mum, you already know what Hogwarts is like. Grayson's been going there for seven years now," I smiled at her.

"Yes, but that's Grayson," she whispered. "I want to know what it's like from your perspective."

"Alright, I'll write you before I go to bed tonight and tell you what house I get sorted into."

"Okay dear, I love you," she told me, wiping under her eyes as Grayson reappeared. "And you," she rounded towards him, hands on her hips. "I better not get any letters from the headmaster this year."

"Mum, Professor Dumbledore has never sent you a letter," he said confused.

"I know, I know. I was only joking."

"Yeah, Gray, you couldn't get into trouble if you tried," I teased.

"Hufflepuff's don't get into trouble."

"That's enough, you two. Come here," mum commanded, holding her arms out for us. I walked into her arms and buried my face into her shoulder, breathing in her sweet vanilla scent. I really was going to miss her.

"I love you, mum," I choked out through the tears that were threatening to spill over my eyes.

"I love you both so much. Write me as often as you can and I'll see you at Christmas," she cried.

"I love you too, mum, but we have to go. The train will leave any minute now." As if on cue, the train whistled and a fresh cloud of steam issued from the engine. My mum kissed both of our heads.

"Bye, now. Don't get into any trouble," she called to us as we rushed to the nearest door.

"Bye, mum!" I shouted back. Grayson and I leaned out the window to wave to mum. She waved back with twice of our enthusiasm. Sending Grayson to Hogwarts always broke her heart, so sending me along with him this year must shatter her. She'd be spending several months alone in our little house seeing as our father left us when I was only a baby.

Once we had rounded the corner and could no longer see mum, Grayson and I pulled our heads back into the train. "Alright, nitwit, go find a compartment and try to make some friends," he told me, ruffling my hair.

"Hey!" I grumbled, patting my hair back down. It was wild enough without him messing it up even more.

"See you at the feast." He turned and headed away from me and all of a sudden, I was alone. It was kind of unnerving being without Grayson. I slowly turned on the ball of my foot and began to walk along the corridor, looking in each compartment to find and empty one.

The farther I walked, the more upset I became. All of the compartments were full of older students that watched me walk by with a seemingly scrutinizing gaze. And being totally honest here, they were a bit scary. One older student went as far as to stick their tongue out at me.

The very last compartment on the train was occupied by a few kids my age, so I managed to conjure a smile and knocked on the door.

"Hello, do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full," I said.

The girl with the short black hair was the first to speak. "Sure." I smiled again and shut the door behind me. I then sat beside the girl.

"I'm Elizabeth Samuels, but everyone calls me Lizzie," I introduced myself.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson," the girl spoke up, tipping her chin up. "That boy there," she pointed to a rather tall boy for our age, "he's Vincent Crabbe. And that's Gregory Goyle," she pointed to the short, stubby boy next to Vincent. The two of them seemed to be more of the strong and silent kind of people, saying nothing in return, only blinking at me.

"And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy," the last boy introduced himself. He was a sharp looking boy, with hair that was so blonde it was almost white. It was slicked back carefully and made him look very prestigious. It was his eyes that intrigued me, though. They were a light grey that captured my attention and refused to let go.

"What house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Pansy asked me, pulling my attention away from the boy. She dragged a manicured hand through her hair, combing it out. It barely reached her shoulders and glinted with light when she moved, as if it had glitter shimmering on it.

"I'm not exactly sure. My brother's a Hufflepuff, so I suspect that is where I'll end up," I shrugged. The truth was that I hadn't spent much time thinking about the subject. Draco laughed at this. It wasn't a kind laugh.

"Hufflepuff? You definitely seem like a Hufflepuff. As for me, I know I'll be in Slytherin. That's where everyone of value ends up," he returned with superior attitude.

"My brother says that everyone in Slytherin is evil, so if you're going to kill me, please at least wait until after I'm sorted. I want to know what house I actually end up in," I told him. Pansy and Vincent laughed a genuine laugh at my comment. Draco smiled, revealing a set of teeth whiter than his hair.

"You know what, Elizabeth, you're not bad for a Hufflepuff," he told me.

"And you don't seem very evil for a Slytherin, Draco," I shot right back at him. Gregory laughed so hard he fell off of his seat.

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts wasn't bad. I found out that everyone calls Vincent and Gregory by their last names, which is odd; I decided I would call them by their first names. I also found out that Draco doesn't like muggleborn witches (or wizards for that matter). So of course, I didn't tell him I was a muggleborn, I didn't want to lose one of the only friends I had here. It's not that important anyway.

"Firs' years, o'r here! Firs' years!" I heard a deep voice calling over the crowd of students. When I found the source of the voice, I stopped dead in my tracks. The man was two or three times my height and way wider.

"Draco, look at that man!" I turned to the boy. "He's huge!"

"What an oaf," he murmured.

"That's not very nice, you don't even know him," I told him, hands on my hips. Despite only knowing this boy for a few hours, I already felt comfortable enough to pull out my mum moves.

"Look at him, though," he argued.

"Be nice, Draco. Let's go," I grabbed the sleeve of his robe and walked to the tall man. I learned his name was Rubeus Hagrid as he led us to the edge of the lake. We were to ride across in boats where we would meet another Professor.

Pansy, Draco, Vincent, and I all sat in a boat together. I felt bad about leaving Gregory, but he ambled into a boat not far from us. Once every student was off the shore, Hagrid gave a great yell and the boats shuddered beneath us and began to move across the glassy surface of the lake towards what I assume would be Hogwarts. All I could see was green until the boats led us around a curtain of ivy and a collective gasp was heard.

Hogwarts had finally become visible to us. It looked magnificent perched high atop a mountain. The lights shone brightly through the darkness and cast reflections across the lake. Everyone stared in awe as we neared the shore.

When our boats had reached their destination, Hagrid led us up to what seemed to be the front door of the school.

"Alrigh'. Everyone here?" he called out over the crowd. No one answered, so he shrugged his shoulders and turned to the door. He raised a great fist and slammed it three times against the door.

Grayson had told me all about The Great Hall. He described in great detail how the candles floated yards above everyones heads and how the ceiling above was enchanted to look like the sky outside. All of his description had not prepared me to see the room in person, however. It had quite literally knocked the breath from my lungs.

Thousands of large, white candles floated dreamily at different height intervals above the five tables in the large room. The tables were hidden beneath the bodies of the students and golden and silver plates and goblets. My favorite part of the room was the ceiling by far. Grayson had told me it was only bewitched, but it was very hard to believe there was even a ceiling at all. It was so like the sky that I had just left outside.

The tall witch in the emerald green robes that had met us at the door led us to the front of the room where the professor's table resided perpendicular to the students tables.

"Wait along here if you would," she addressed us first years. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term feast will begin shortly. First, you will be sorted into one of the four houses here. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family.

"When each of your names are called, you will come sit on the stool here beside me and I will place The Sorting Hat upon your head. It will determine your house." The witch set an old hat upon the stool. It jumped to life and began to sing.

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

Once the hat fell lifeless again, the room thundered with applause. I clapped along with everyone else in the room, though I was in shock due to a hat that could talk. The tall witch produced a yellowed scroll and began to read names.

"Hannah Abbot," she called. A small girl with long blonde hair in a plait down her back sat on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF," the hat roared. The room applauded as Hannah made her way to the Hufflepuff table.

One by one, students were sorted. Vincent, Gregory, Draco, and Pansy were all sorted into Slytherin as they had suspected.

"Elizabeth Samuels," was finally called and I walked sheepishly up to the stool. My eyes searched the Hufflepuff table for Grayson. I couldn't find him anywhere.

As soon as the hat was set on my head, it began to whisper in my ear. I wondered if the rest of the students could hear what it was saying to me.

"Ah, Miss Samuels. You have a greatly ready mind, full of wisdom and intellect, while also having a loyal and brave heart. Not to mention your ambition to prove yourself to your mother. Where shall you be put?" it whispered. "You would do wonderful in Ravenclaw indeed, as well as Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but my final choice is SLYTHERIN."

My eyes locked with Grayson's just as the hat roared it's answer. His eyes darkened dangerously and he didn't clap for me as I made my way to the table of the snakes. I sat down beside Pansy and across from Draco.

"So, Hufflepuff," Draco said as I sat down, "how's the evil life treating you?" I gave him a weak smile.

My mother shouldn't be prejudiced against Slytherins because she wasn't a witch, but Grayson was a whole different story. He had come home every summer telling my mother and I about how terrible Slytherins were. He hadn't even clapped for me.

I wasn't going to let this bother me, though. If The Sorting Hat placed me in Slytherin, then I belonged in Slytherin, and I was going to be proud of that. No matter what Grayson said.

After the last student was sorted. The plates filled themselves with every food imaginable. Chicken, biscuits and gravy, steak, potatoes, beans, and rolls. I filled my plate with mashed potatoes and a small steak.

"Well, that food was alright," Draco commented after he had finished his dinner. A small lock of his hair had fallen from its place slicked tight to his head and rested gently on his forehead. As he said that, the food disappeared to be replaced by dessert. I gasped by how much had appeared. When my eyes landed on a certain dessert, I gasped even louder. Sherry trifle. My absolute favorite. "See something you like, Hufflepuff?"

"My name is Lizzie," I silently scowled at him and scooped a good portion of the smooth trifle onto my plate, even though I felt as though I was going to explode from how much I had eaten.


	2. Chapter 2

Lizzie's POV:

"Lizzie! Why is it always you! Get up, you cow!" Millicent shouted, yanking the emerald curtains around my bed apart.

"I'm not a mirror, you know," I grumbled back. I was not someone who loved to wake up early.

"Just get up! Breakfast is, as of now, over and class starts in ten minutes." I groaned and rolled out of bed. The days when I missed breakfast never ended up being good ones. I angrily forced my arms into my robes and threw my bag over my shoulder, stomping down to the common room.

"Took you long enough. I was about to leave you," a voice called to me from the plush, black sofa by the fireplace. The source of the deep voice shut the book they were reading and slid it elegantly into their bag.

"You wouldn't have. I don't think you could find any of your classes without me," I teased, plopping down beside him.

"Oh come on, have some faith, Hufflepuff."

"I've been in your house for five years, Draco. Just let it go. I'm a Slytherin through and through," I scowled at him. 

"I brought you some breakfast. I know how crabby you get on days when you sleep in," he said, ignoring my argument and standing up, removing a small package from his bag.

"You really are the best," I laughed. Inside of the napkin is a bit of toast and an apple.

"I know," he smirked. "Now unless you want to be late on your first day, we should probably get to class."

"Draco Malfoy doesn't want to be late to class?" I mocked surprise. "I have lived to see the world end."

"Oh shut up. I need to make a good impression on the new teacher and so do you. So get your bum up." He held his slender hand out to me. I grasped it and he helped me stand.

That years Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a stout little woman from the ministry. She obnoxiously wore pink from head to toe, save for the little black bow on the top of her curly hair.

When we reached her classroom, it was almost full. Draco and I sat in the very back, as far from the wicked witch as we could. We could already tell we were going to hate the woman because of her sweet voice and scripted talk.

The woman was seated at her desk with her hands folded neatly in front of her.

"Good morning. class," she piped overly sweet. A small grumble of greeting arose from the students. "Now, now, that will not do. You will reply 'Good morning, Professor Umbridge' when prompted, such as now. So let's try that again." I raised my eyebrows at her and she cleared her throat. "Good morning, class."

"Good morning. Professor Umbridge," the class said collectively.

"Much better. Now, your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you will be pleased to know from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic." The woman waved her wand and the stack of books on her desk distributed themselves among the students. "Please open your books and read chapter one. I expect a one page summary essay by tomorrow. There will be no need to talk."

I turned my head to Draco. Like me, his eyebrows were sky-high.

"One page summary essay? Is she mad?" Draco whispered to me. "If she continues like this, she won't make it through the year alive."

"Good thing the job's jinxed," I muttered back, opening my book to chapter one.

At dinner that day, all the talk was about the new ministry-approved-defense-against-learning professor. Everyone was outraged by her demeanor and way of teaching. No one was going to learn anything with her teaching the way she was.

"Can you believe the old hag? She took away my hairbrush!" Pansy complained.

"Oh Pansy, calm down, your hair can survive one class without being brushed," I told her.

"I don't know, Liz, look at it. It's already so frizzy," Draco teased.

"What?!" Pansy screeched, leaping up at once to run to the loo. I giggled and punched his arm.

"You are so mean to her sometimes."

"If I didn't say it, you would have, so I saved you some breath."

"Why thank you kind sir. Now hand me that roll so I'm not hungry when I make you apologize to her." Draco narrowed his eyes at me and tossed the roll at me, but with my reflexes I caught it easily. "Up," I commanded.

"You are such a Hufflepuff," he sighed.

"You could learn a thing or two from me." We walked out of The Great Hall and back to the Slytherin common room. If Pansy wasn't in there now, she was bound to end up there at some point.

Lucky for us Pansy was in the common room, sitting beside one of the windows to The Black Lake. When we walked over to her, I put my hand on my hip and looked at Draco.

"I'm sorry I teased you about your hair, Pansy," Draco said under his breath.

"Aww, thank you, Draky," she jumped up and kissed Draco's cheek after she threw her arms around his neck.

"Get a room you two," I said, gagging. Pansy liked to throw herself at Draco at every chance she got. Draco has made it clear plenty of times that he's not interested in her.

Draco's POV:

"Come on, Pansy. Get off me," I groaned, attempting to pry the girl off of me.

Don't get me wrong, Pansy is an attractive girl, she's just not my type.

"You're so pushy," she pouted.

"You guys disgust me," Lizzie stated.

"I learn from the best," I smirked at her. She gave a snarky shake of her head and walked over to the sofa by the mantle.

"So how did your guys' day go?" she asked me and Pansy.

"You should know, you were with me the whole time," I noted while inspecting fingers. They were smudged with black (like most of the time).

"Well, my day was wonderful," Pansy chided.

"Good to hear, Pans," Lizzie smiled sweetly, causing me to shiver. "Alright there, Draco?"

"Yeah, just got the chills there for a moment," I semi-lied. I don't know why or how, but Lizzie's smiles always made my stomach lurch. Even on the worst of days, her smile would cheer me up. Now don't go saying 'oh yeah, the best friend has a crush on her blah blah blah', because that's not true. Lizzie is my best friend and there is nothing more to it.

She raised an eyebrow at my response, but that was the end of it.

"Not that you guys are boring or anything, but I'm going to bed," Pansy stated suddenly. She stood up and clapped her hands.

"Dinner is barely over," I told her, but Pansy was a girl of her beauty sleep, so she often went to bed early. I guess tonight was one of those nights.

"If I give you a nice big straw, will you go suck the fun out of someone else's day?" Lizzie deadpanned, staring blankly into the fire. Pansy huffed and hurried to the girls dormitory.

Lizzie and I sat in silence save for the few first years scribbling on bits of parchment. I watched her from the corner of my eye. She was a pretty girl with her round cheeks and plump lips. Her eyes were similar to mine, a stormy grey, except they were a darker type of grey. More like the dark grey of a storm cloud compared to the silvery grey of mine. Her chest length brown hair sat on her shoulders, slightly tangled from the activities of the day.

"Want to go on walk before bed?" she asked me quietly.

"Sure," I answered, lightly jumping from the abruptness of her question. So we stood up and headed to the common room entrance. We meandered the corridors of the school in silence for a few minutes as my eyes slid over each painting and studied the subjects.

"What do you think of Umbridge?" the girl beside me asked as we rounded a corner. I thought carefully on how to phrase my response before I replied.

"She is a bloody tosser," I stated simply, causing her to laugh. With the way Umbridge treated us today, I really hope Liz is correct in saying the job is jinxed.

"Careful, she might hear you. She's probably got ears everywhere," she lifted her hand and ran it through her hair, fluffing it slightly, then tucking a bit behind her right ear.

"I wouldn't doubt it. I just hope she turns out to be better than she seems so far," I sighed. "Yet maybe, she'll end up expelling all of the mudbloods. Do this school some good."

"Don't use that word, Draco," she said sternly.

"Sorry," I muttered back.

Lizzie has different views about muggleborns than I do. I think purebloods are superior to half-bloods and anyone who isn't a pureblood. We should be treated with respect for being whole wizards and not possessing tainted blood. Since she's my best friend, I respect her views. Most of the time.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked. That was when I actually registered where we were at. We had wandered from the dungeons all the way up to the corridor beside The Great Hall.

"I'm not sure, I'm just following you," I replied.

"Well, I'm following you," she laughed. "I suspect it's almost curfew, we should probably head back to the common room."

"Wait, can I show you something?" I asked her suddenly. A thought had popped into my head and I realized that I had never shown her my favorite place in the school.

"Of course," she said. "As long as it doesn't kill me."

"It won't, I promise," I assured her. I led her quickly up several flights of stairs and down quite a few hallways to the final staircase.

"The astronomy tower?" she asked quizzically.

"You are correct," I said as I began to walk up the stairs. When we reached the top, I spread my arms. "Welcome to my favorite place in Hogwarts." A cool breeze ruffled my hair as it danced its way across the tower.

"Your favorite place in Hogwarts, huh?" she echoed, walking to the railing and looking down.

"You are once again correct, but you're doing it wrong. Look up, not down." I followed her and grasped the cold metal of the bars. She followed my instructions and looked up to the sky.

"And why is it your favorite?" she questioned.

"I'm not exactly sure. I think I like the openness of it. You know, how you could fall right off if it weren't for the railings. And I guess I like looking at the stars," I lisped quietly.

I was glad I chose tonight to show her this place for it was a beautiful night to be up here. The sun had only just set, so the sky was a deep violet, dotted with the delicate stars stretching as far as the eye could see. A steady breeze ruffled our hair. Not enough of a breeze to carry parchment away, but strong enough to appreciate.

"You know, technically, students aren't supposed to be up here when it's not class time," she teased me, leaning on the railing and looking up at me with a smirk.

"Since when do you follow the rules?" I asked her right back.

"Touche," she laughed. "But I can see how this is your favorite place in the school. It is so beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" I sighed.

We stood there with our hands grasping the railing and eyes on the sky for several minutes. It was then that I realized my contentment. I was standing in my favorite place with my favorite person. This moment right here, right now, was perfect to me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The sky has always been one of my favorite things about life; I adore the way it is different everyday. Such as now. The lingering orange rays of the sun were swiftly fading to make way for the spotted canopy that is the night sky. The large moon worked its way silently through the sky, bringing the stars along with it. The stars trailing the moon glittered like diamonds but not harsh to my eyes and even caught my eye.

My eyes searched the sky for constellations, one of my favorite pastimes up here. I found the constellation of Orion, the hunter; Aquila, the eagle; Ursa Major, the bear; and Draco, the dragon. 

"You see that star right there? The one next to the really bright one?" I asked Lizzie, pointing to the sky.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"That's the head of the Draco constellation. It wraps up and down like that," I said, moving my pointed finger in the shape of the constellation.

"Isn't that what you were named after? I remember you mentioning something about a constellation at some point," she said.

"Yeah, it's my mother's favorite constellation," I affirmed. I got my love of stars from my mother, and it was obvious. My father thought stars were a waste of time and space, while my mother and I both thought they were absolutely beautiful.

"I was named after the queen. I even have her same middle name. Well, one of them. Elizabeth Alexandra May Samuels," she whispered.

"Elizabeth Alexandra May Samuels. That's a mouthful," I laughed. "It's lovely though. I don't know if I've ever told you, but I really love the name Elizabeth."

"You haven't," she said quietly, still looking at the sky. "What's your middle name?"

"Lucius. Draco Lucius Malfoy," I confided, looking from the stars to her. The faint glow of the moon shined onto her nose and showed her small freckles through the darkness. The corner of her lip caught between her teeth as her eyes flicked over the sky.

"Like your father?"

"Yes."

"I like it," she said, turning her head to make eye contact with me. The light from the moon lit up the side of her face now, casting her eyes and mouth into darkness. She lightly dragged her tongue across her lips and bit the corner again, a habit that she seemed to be increasingly doing. My eyes flicked down to her lips and I found myself leaning forward slightly.

When I realized what I was about to do, I shook my head. "Yeah, well, we should probably get back to the common room. We can't get caught out past curfew," I coughed.

"G-good idea. Who knows what Umbridge is capable of," she sighs.


	3. Chapter 3

Lizzie's POV:

"Lizzie! Pst Liz! I know you can hear me!" A piece of crumpled up parchment hit the back of my head. I whipped my head around to see who had the guts to do it. Of course, it was none other than Pansy Parkinson.

'What?' I mouthed back angrily. The middle of Defense Against the Dark Arts was not a place where I wanted to be talking. Umbridge had given some poor Gryffindor detention just for shutting her book too loudly a few weeks ago.

"Look at the paper!" she squeaked. I frowned at her, but picked up the ball of paper she had tossed at me.

Halloween costume party

common room

7

Halloween wasn't until next week, but the Slytherin house would use any excuse to party. I would be surprised if this was our only Halloween party.

I scowled at Pansy and mouthed 'Later'.

"Miss Samuels, face the front if you would," Professor Umbridge piped from her desk.

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," I drawled back.

Umbridge was one of those women who wouldn't accept anything except for the right addressment of superiors. She had taught us in one of her first classes what would happen if we didn't refer to her as 'Professor Umbridge' whenever we spoke to or of her.

Harry Potter had gotten a detention for telling Umbridge that Voldemort was back in the first week of school. He just sort of lost control when he told her, shouting about how we should learn to defend ourselves. I overheard Hermione Granger and Harry talking about it. Umbridge had carved words into the back of Harry's hand by what I heard. I didn't desire anything such as that, so I followed all of Umbridge's rules, no matter how ridiculous.

My mind went back to the party. How is a costume party going to work? I doubt any student had packed a costume specifically for Halloween parties. I guess normal clothes could always be transfigured into something costume-like.

Right when I had begun to try and decide what my costume would be, the class was dismissed.

"Remember class! One foot summary essay over what you read due Monday!" Professor Umbridge shouted over the hustle of students rushing out of her warpath.

Since Defense Against the Dark Arts is my first class of the day, I had to sit through several other classes before the day was over.

At dinner, I searched the overcrowded Slytherin table for Draco. He was sitting at the end with Blaise Zabini and Gregory Goyle.

"Hey Draco," I greeted the blonde, sitting down at the wooden table I had come to love.

"Hey Liz. Did you hear about the party later?"

"Yeah, I did. Didn't you hear Umbridge yell at me today in Defense Against the Dark Arts? Pansy just couldn't wait to tell me," I asked him as I placed my food on my plate. Turkey breast on thick cut wheat bread.

"That's what that was about?" Blaise chimed in from the other side of Draco.

"You betcha," I affirmed.

"What are you going as?" Draco asked cutting into his steak. One of his favorite foods happen to be steak. I guess it is one of those 'elegant' foods for purebloods. I was never a fan of it.

"I'm not sure. What about you?"

"I was thinking of going as a vampire," he smirked.

"Oh, that's so boring, Draco," I whined to him. There is always a group of people who dress up as vampires. It's so cliche.

"I know, I'm going to make it look better than everyone else, though. You should go as a devil, you wouldn't even have to do anything different from your normal routine."

"You know what? Just because you said that, I'm going as an angel," I smiled at him.

"Perfect," he snickered. Just at that second, Pansy came running into The Great Hall, her hair jumping up and down with every step.

"Lizzie, come on! We have to get ready!" she screeched.

"I'm eating, Pans," I told her, taking a bite of a green apple.

"There'll be food there. Now, get up off of that bum and let's go!" she commanded as she pulled me up by my arm.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, boys," I tossed my apple to Draco, who caught it and took a bite.

"I guess so," he smiled.

"Ouch! Pansy, let go," I snapped at her after we made it through the Great Hall doors. No matter how vain and ditsy she could be, Pansy Parkinson sure as hell was strong.

"Sorry!" she said shrilly. When she let go, I rubbed the area she had had so firmly in her grip.

"What's the hurry, anyway? The party doesn't start for another hour," I grumbled.

"We all know how long it takes you to get ready, and you have to help me look good! Draco will be there!"

"Yes, he will be. He does happen to be a Slytherin," I answered as we arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

"Oh be quiet," she huffed, "What are you going as?"

"Well, Draco said I should go as the devil because I wouldn't have to dress up, so I told him I'm going as an angel."

"Oooo! I have the perfect dress for that!" Pansy sqeualed.

"If this is anything like your normal dresses, I'm going to pass," I said. Pansy's clothing was usually very low cut and thin, showing off a lot of skin.

"Hush, it would look great on you." She began to dig around in her trunk. "Just let me find it here."

"What are you going to be?" I asked her in the meantime.

"I"m going to be a cat!" she shrilled.

"A cat? You and Draco are so cliche."

"Here it is!" She pulled out a small white dress.

"Pansy, there is no way I'm wearing that. There's hardly anything to it!" I wasn't lying. She had held up an extremely short white dress with a silver sash across the waist.

"Just put it on," she insisted. I melodramatically sighed and made sure that she knew I wasn't happy to put this dress on. She scowled at me and turned to her trunk to prepare her own costume. "Honestly, Liz, you are such a drama queen."

"Takes one to know one." I slipped the silky dress over my head as I grumbled about how revealing it was.

"Oh it looks so good on you!" Pansy screeched as the dress settled onto my shoulders. I turned to the mirror Astoria had transfigured for me in third year.

Pansy wasn't lying. The dress accentuated my larger-than-average breasts while not hugging too tightly to my larger-than-average stomach. My body was not one of over the top beauty and I was usually pretty self concious of my weight, but this dress did make me look good.

"Wow, it's actually not that bad," I sighed. The dress didn't actually didn't show too much skin.

"What do you think of my costume?" she asked me as I continued to admire myself in the mirror. I reluctantly turned away and glanced at Pansy. She was wearing a pair of black leggings with a black top that ended above her bellybutton, exposing her midriff. The only indication to the cat part of her costume was the pair of cat ears on top of her head.

"There's not much too it, Pans," I admitted.

"Well, I'll use eyeliner to paint whiskers on my cheeks," she said digging through her makeup bag, "and I'm doing your makeup too."

"I'm wearing your dress, but there is no way I am letting you do my makeup. I can do it perfectly well myself, thank you very much," I dictated firmly, crossing my arms.

"Fine, fine, fine, but hurry up, the party starts soon." I stuck my tongue out at her and sat down in front of the mirror.

Makeup hasn't ever been one of my strongest talents but I take pride in my ability to put eyeliner on. I used a small amount of concealer to cover up the red acne spots on my face and to hide the blue shading under my eyes. After it had dried, I lightly powdered my face to hide the natural red blotchiness. I flicked a thin line of black eyeliner above my eye and added a small cat eye at the end just for fun. To finish the look, I added mascara to bring out my eyelashes.

Once I finished applying my makeup, I stood up and turned to see how far along Pansy had gotten. Of course, she was caking her makeup on.

"Pansy, are you almost done?" I asked her while trying to find something I could transfigure into a halo.

"Not yet. What are you looking for?" she said while applying a thick amount of eyeliner to her eyes.

"Something I could use as a halo or just something I could transfigure into one," I frowned at the amount of eyeliner she was using.

"Why don't you ask Astoria, she was an angel last year, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be right back then," I groaned, beginning the trip to the common room. Since Astoria wasn't in the dormitory, I figured I would find her in there. She's also one of the best transfiguration students in our year, so she's usually recruited to set up for parties. I found her sticking a streamer to the wall above the fireplace.

"Hey, Astoria, do you still have that halo you used for your costume last year?" I asked her sweetly. Astoria and I weren't exactly friends but weren't enemies. I guess we were more acquaintances than anything else.

"Oh, hey, Lizzie. Yeah, it's in my trunk under the foot of my bed. You can go get it if you'd like."

"Thanks, I'll get it back to you," I smiled at her, then hurried back to the dormitory. "You'll never guess what, Pans."

"She for some reason brought the halo to Hogwarts with her and it's in her trunk under her bed," she piped.

"Actually, yeah, how did you know?" I asked her, cocking my head and furrowing my eyebrows.

"Because I went through her trunk for you," she said with a large smile as she brought her hand out from behind her back. In it was a brown headband with a white ring suspended above it.

"You know if she finds out, she'll be pissed," I frowned, taking the band from her and sliding into my hair.

"Astoria can't get angry, it's not in her nature." As true as this might have been, I still shook my head at her.

"Are you ready yet? Because Astoria looked like she was almost done setting up," I sighed.

"I am, but we can't be the first ones down there. We have to make an entrance, so you're going to wait here with me until we are sure the party is going strong," she twitted excitedly.

I groaned loudly. "Pansy, you took me from dinner and expected me to be ready an hour early, and now you want to wait to 'make an entrance'?" I asked using air quotes.

"Yeah, I want Draco to notice me," she pouted.

"There is not a sponge in the world that can rival your self-absorption," I sassed.

"Oh shut up and just tell me what you're doing for your holidays," she ordered me.

By the time Pansy had deemed it an appropriate time to make our entrance, the walls had begun to shake lightly with music from The Weird Sisters and loud voices drifted their way into our dormitory.

"How exactly do you plan to make this entrance?" I asked her as we made our way down the hallway towards the common room.

"We walk in," she shouted over the music. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"You made me wait so we could walk in late?"

"Yes, now let's go," she urged impatiently.

The Slytherin Halloween party had a theme every year and this year's theme seemed to be graveyard related, for fake gravestones had been placed around the room. One side of the room had been cleared of tables and chairs and was our makeshift dancefloor.

Out of habit, my eyes searched the room for the familiar white-blonde hair. Pansy must have spotted him, because she adjusted her breasts, fluffed her hair, walked away from me. I followed her line of sight and saw Draco sitting on one of the sofas. I scoffed as soon as my eyes fell onto him.

He had seemingly abandoned his previous costume choice of a vampire and instead chose to come as a devil. He wore black slacks and tuxedo jacket. Underneath of the jacket, he wore a red button through shirt. On top of side of his forehead, he had stuck two red horns.

"Draco Elizabeth Malfoy, what the hell are you wearing?" I asked him once I was in his hearing range. Since I had not known Draco's middle name until a few nights ago and he had refused to tell me, I often used random female names in place.

He smiled once he saw me, "Since you said you were going to dress up as an angel, I figured I would dress up as a devil."

"Oh, I didn't even notice. You look the same as you always do," I smirked.

"You look nice, Pansy," Draco commented. Pansy smiled largely.

"Thank you, Draky!" she bubbled.

"So you two, care to dance?" Draco questioned, bowing and holding both hands out to me and Pansy.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco's POV:

I spotted Lizzie and Pansy as soon as they entered the common room. Pansy was kind of hard to miss in her costume. And of course I could never miss Lizzie in a room.

Liz looked wonderful in her costume this year. She had quite obviously borrowed the dress from Pansy, for I knew Liz would never buy a dress so revealing. Not that I'm complaining. The dress was white and silver and there was a halo floating above her head. Pansy was dressed as a cat in her slinky black outfit.

I asked Lizzie and Pansy to dance, because everyone knew that dancing was the best part of Slytherin parties. When we dance, we don't shyly shake our hips back and forth, we bounce and throw our heads around like there's no tomorrow. Everyone gets sweaty fast but no one cares.

"Do The Hippogriff" began to play, and Lizzie, Pansy, Blaise, and I started to jump with our arms in the air. Our bodies bumped against each other as sweat quickly began to form at the base of my neck. Lizzie's eyes were shut and her arms were raised high above her head. She jumped up and down beside me.

Pansy and Blaise danced very close to each other, their bodies rubbing together.

Several songs later, after I had shed my jacket, Lizzie suggested that we go get drinks. We all hastily agreed. We shoved our way through the crowd of dancing Slytherin's to the table on the far side of the room which held the drinks. Blaise and Lizzie downed two cups before I had even taken a sip of mine. As soon as the cool liquid slipped into my mouth, I knew it had Firewhiskey in it.

"Hey, who got these drinks?" I coughed.

"I did mate, why?" Blaise smiled while Lizzie drank another cup.

"There's Firewhiskey in this," I stated more to Lizzie than anyone else.

"Of course there is, it's not a Slytherin party without some alcohol, now is it?" Blaise slurred.

Already the spiked drink was taking effect on Lizzie and Blaise. Lizzie's shoulders had relaxed and her eyes became slightly unfocused. She reached for another cup but I caught her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't drink too much at once or you'll get alcohol poisoning," I warned her.

"Oh, calm down Draco, I'll be fine," she drawled.

"He's right, Liz, you're gonna have a massive headache when you wake up. You too, Blaise," Pansy shouted over the music.

"Headache, psh, who cares about headaches?" Blaise laughed.

"See? This guy knows how to party!" Lizzie said, clinking her cup against Blaise's.

"Alright, enough of that," I said, taking the cup from Lizzie. "Let's go dance some more." She smiled and grabbed my hand leading me towards the dance floor.

"Wait!" Blaise said suddenly. "We should play truth or dare!"

Lizzie gasped loudly and dropped my hand. "Yes!" she shouted.

"Alright, if it keeps you from drinking any more," I agreed. Lizzie grabbed mine and Pansy's hands and led us to a corner with a sofa. She plopped down and pulled me down beside her. Pansy sat on the other side of me, and Blaise sat on the floor in front of us.

"Who first?" Pansy asked.

"Blaise, since it was his idea," I said.

"Okay, Pansy, truth or dare?" Blaise asked.

"Truth."

"Aww come on, Pans, seriously?" Lizzie protested.

"If you could kiss anyone in this room, who would it be?" Blaise asked. Pansy's eyes flicked to me for a second, but she then scan the room.

"Well Theo doesn't look to bad in his pirate costume," Pansy said after a moment's consideration. I scoffed out loud at this.

"Theodore Nott?" Lizzie questioned.

"Yeah, I mean look at his biceps," she crooned.

"Alright, Pansy your turn," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Lizzie, truth or dare?" she asked the other girl.

"Dare," Lizzie returned.

"Go drink another cup of Firewhiskey."

"Okay." Liz got up and was back with a cup before I could even protest. She swallowed it all.

"Lizzie!" I shouted.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be innocent. I only sighed in return.

"Draco, truth or dare?" she asked me.

"Truth, I'm not about to take a dare from you drunk."

"Hmmm. If you could have sex with either Pansy or me, who would you choose?" she smirked at me. I froze.

"Ooo, good one, Liz," Blaise laughed.

Have sex with Pansy or Lizzie? I mean the answer is obvious but I'm not about to admit that to her.

"Neither of you, because you're my best friends," I said, feeling the blush rise into my cheeks.

"Aww, you're no fun," Lizzie pouted.

"Your turn, D," Blaise said.

"Blaise, truth or dare?" I asked him, desperate to change the subject.

"Dare," he replied gallantly.

"Kiss Pansy," I said easily. They're going to hook up tonight anyway, so I'm just pushing them in the right direction.

Blaise smiled and leaned over to place a sloppy kiss on Pansy's lips.

"There," he smirked. "Lizzie, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" she said excitedly.

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?" This perked my attention. Lizzie and I had shared many secrets before, but we had never talked about our biggest secrets.

She placed her hand on her chin to tell us she was thinking and furrowed her eyebrows.

What could her secret possibly be, though? She broke her mum's favorite vase when she was nine? No, that was me. She steals money from her brother? No, that's not a secret.

"I'm a muggleborn," she said finally, dropping her hand from her chin.

"What?!" Blaise, Pansy, and I all said at once. Our jaws were practically on the ground from the shock of Lizzie's reveal.

"My mum and dad are muggles," she nodded.

"And you've kept that from us for five years why?" Blaise asked. Anyone could tell that Blaise, Pansy, and I were getting angry. Pansy's natural flirty expression had changed to one consisting of a crinkled nose and pursed lips, and Blaise's lip was beginning to curl.

"Because I know you guys don't like muggleborns." She shrugged as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

"And for good reason," Pansy sneered. "I can't believe you would lie to me like that."

"Well, I wasn't lying, just withholding the truth," she snapped back. She was slowly coming to realize her mistake; I could see it in her eyes, they were beginning to sober up, while our anger with her grew.

"I can't believe you're a- a- a mudblood," I spit at her, angry of her deception.

"Don't call me that, Draco," she said, flinching at the word.

"He's right. You're a mudblood," Blaise said through his teeth.

"Please, don't use that word," Lizzie begged us, tears forming in her eyes.

"Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood," Pansy taunted her. "Why don't you go to your mudblood room and cry your-mudblood-self to sleep." Lizzie's chin quivered slightly before she got up and dashed away.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco's POV:

I spotted Lizzie and Pansy as soon as they entered the common room. Pansy was kind of hard to miss in her costume. And of course I could never miss Lizzie in a room.

Liz looked wonderful in her costume this year. She had quite obviously borrowed the dress from Pansy, for I knew Liz would never buy a dress so revealing. Not that I'm complaining. The dress was white and silver and there was a halo floating above her head. Pansy was dressed as a cat in her slinky black outfit.

I asked Lizzie and Pansy to dance, because everyone knew that dancing was the best part of Slytherin parties. When we dance, we don't shyly shake our hips back and forth, we bounce and throw our heads around like there's no tomorrow. Everyone gets sweaty fast but no one cares.

"Do The Hippogriff" began to play, and Lizzie, Pansy, Blaise, and I started to jump with our arms in the air. Our bodies bumped against each other as sweat quickly began to form at the base of my neck. Lizzie's eyes were shut and her arms were raised high above her head. She jumped up and down beside me.

Pansy and Blaise danced very close to each other, their bodies rubbing together.

Several songs later, after I had shed my jacket, Lizzie suggested that we go get drinks. We all hastily agreed. We shoved our way through the crowd of dancing Slytherin's to the table on the far side of the room which held the drinks. Blaise and Lizzie downed two cups before I had even taken a sip of mine. As soon as the cool liquid slipped into my mouth, I knew it had Firewhiskey in it.

"Hey, who got these drinks?" I coughed.

"I did mate, why?" Blaise smiled while Lizzie drank another cup.

"There's Firewhiskey in this," I stated more to Lizzie than anyone else.

"Of course there is, it's not a Slytherin party without some alcohol, now is it?" Blaise slurred.

Already the spiked drink was taking effect on Lizzie and Blaise. Lizzie's shoulders had relaxed and her eyes became slightly unfocused. She reached for another cup but I caught her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't drink too much at once or you'll get alcohol poisoning," I warned her.

"Oh, calm down Draco, I'll be fine," she drawled.

"He's right, Liz, you're gonna have a massive headache when you wake up. You too, Blaise," Pansy shouted over the music.

"Headache, psh, who cares about headaches?" Blaise laughed.

"See? This guy knows how to party!" Lizzie said, clinking her cup against Blaise's.

"Alright, enough of that," I said, taking the cup from Lizzie. "Let's go dance some more." She smiled and grabbed my hand leading me towards the dance floor.

"Wait!" Blaise said suddenly. "We should play truth or dare!"

Lizzie gasped loudly and dropped my hand. "Yes!" she shouted.

"Alright, if it keeps you from drinking any more," I agreed. Lizzie grabbed mine and Pansy's hands and led us to a corner with a sofa. She plopped down and pulled me down beside her. Pansy sat on the other side of me, and Blaise sat on the floor in front of us.

"Who first?" Pansy asked.

"Blaise, since it was his idea," I said.

"Okay, Pansy, truth or dare?" Blaise asked.

"Truth."

"Aww come on, Pans, seriously?" Lizzie protested.

"If you could kiss anyone in this room, who would it be?" Blaise asked. Pansy's eyes flicked to me for a second, but she then scan the room.

"Well Theo doesn't look to bad in his pirate costume," Pansy said after a moment's consideration. I scoffed out loud at this.

"Theodore Nott?" Lizzie questioned.

"Yeah, I mean look at his biceps," she crooned.

"Alright, Pansy your turn," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Lizzie, truth or dare?" she asked the other girl.

"Dare," Lizzie returned.

"Go drink another cup of Firewhiskey."

"Okay." Liz got up and was back with a cup before I could even protest. She swallowed it all.

"Lizzie!" I shouted.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be innocent. I only sighed in return.

"Draco, truth or dare?" she asked me.

"Truth, I'm not about to take a dare from you drunk."

"Hmmm. If you could have sex with either Pansy or me, who would you choose?" she smirked at me. I froze.

"Ooo, good one, Liz," Blaise laughed.

Have sex with Pansy or Lizzie? I mean the answer is obvious but I'm not about to admit that to her.

"Neither of you, because you're my best friends," I said, feeling the blush rise into my cheeks.

"Aww, you're no fun," Lizzie pouted.

"Your turn, D," Blaise said.

"Blaise, truth or dare?" I asked him, desperate to change the subject.

"Dare," he replied gallantly.

"Kiss Pansy," I said easily. They're going to hook up tonight anyway, so I'm just pushing them in the right direction.

Blaise smiled and leaned over to place a sloppy kiss on Pansy's lips.

"There," he smirked. "Lizzie, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" she said excitedly.

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?" This perked my attention. Lizzie and I had shared many secrets before, but we had never talked about our biggest secrets.

She placed her hand on her chin to tell us she was thinking and furrowed her eyebrows.

What could her secret possibly be, though? She broke her mum's favorite vase when she was nine? No, that was me. She steals money from her brother? No, that's not a secret.

"I'm a muggleborn," she said finally, dropping her hand from her chin.

"What?!" Blaise, Pansy, and I all said at once. Our jaws were practically on the ground from the shock of Lizzie's reveal.

"My mum and dad are muggles," she nodded.

"And you've kept that from us for five years why?" Blaise asked. Anyone could tell that Blaise, Pansy, and I were getting angry. Pansy's natural flirty expression had changed to one consisting of a crinkled nose and pursed lips, and Blaise's lip was beginning to curl.

"Because I know you guys don't like muggleborns." She shrugged as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

"And for good reason," Pansy sneered. "I can't believe you would lie to me like that."

"Well, I wasn't lying, just withholding the truth," she snapped back. She was slowly coming to realize her mistake; I could see it in her eyes, they were beginning to sober up, while our anger with her grew.

"I can't believe you're a- a- a mudblood," I spit at her, angry of her deception.

"Don't call me that, Draco," she said, flinching at the word.

"He's right. You're a mudblood," Blaise said through his teeth.

"Please, don't use that word," Lizzie begged us, tears forming in her eyes.

"Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood," Pansy taunted her. "Why don't you go to your mudblood room and cry your-mudblood-self to sleep." Lizzie's chin quivered slightly before she got up and dashed away.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco's POV:

I spotted Lizzie and Pansy as soon as they entered the common room. Pansy was kind of hard to miss in her costume. And of course I could never miss Lizzie in a room.

Liz looked wonderful in her costume this year. She had quite obviously borrowed the dress from Pansy, for I knew Liz would never buy a dress so revealing. Not that I'm complaining. The dress was white and silver and there was a halo floating above her head. Pansy was dressed as a cat in her slinky black outfit.

I asked Lizzie and Pansy to dance, because everyone knew that dancing was the best part of Slytherin parties. When we dance, we don't shyly shake our hips back and forth, we bounce and throw our heads around like there's no tomorrow. Everyone gets sweaty fast but no one cares.

"Do The Hippogriff" began to play, and Lizzie, Pansy, Blaise, and I started to jump with our arms in the air. Our bodies bumped against each other as sweat quickly began to form at the base of my neck. Lizzie's eyes were shut and her arms were raised high above her head. She jumped up and down beside me.

Pansy and Blaise danced very close to each other, their bodies rubbing together.

Several songs later, after I had shed my jacket, Lizzie suggested that we go get drinks. We all hastily agreed. We shoved our way through the crowd of dancing Slytherin's to the table on the far side of the room which held the drinks. Blaise and Lizzie downed two cups before I had even taken a sip of mine. As soon as the cool liquid slipped into my mouth, I knew it had Firewhiskey in it.

"Hey, who got these drinks?" I coughed.

"I did mate, why?" Blaise smiled while Lizzie drank another cup.

"There's Firewhiskey in this," I stated more to Lizzie than anyone else.

"Of course there is, it's not a Slytherin party without some alcohol, now is it?" Blaise slurred.

Already the spiked drink was taking effect on Lizzie and Blaise. Lizzie's shoulders had relaxed and her eyes became slightly unfocused. She reached for another cup but I caught her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't drink too much at once or you'll get alcohol poisoning," I warned her.

"Oh, calm down Draco, I'll be fine," she drawled.

"He's right, Liz, you're gonna have a massive headache when you wake up. You too, Blaise," Pansy shouted over the music.

"Headache, psh, who cares about headaches?" Blaise laughed.

"See? This guy knows how to party!" Lizzie said, clinking her cup against Blaise's.

"Alright, enough of that," I said, taking the cup from Lizzie. "Let's go dance some more." She smiled and grabbed my hand leading me towards the dance floor.

"Wait!" Blaise said suddenly. "We should play truth or dare!"

Lizzie gasped loudly and dropped my hand. "Yes!" she shouted.

"Alright, if it keeps you from drinking any more," I agreed. Lizzie grabbed mine and Pansy's hands and led us to a corner with a sofa. She plopped down and pulled me down beside her. Pansy sat on the other side of me, and Blaise sat on the floor in front of us.

"Who first?" Pansy asked.

"Blaise, since it was his idea," I said.

"Okay, Pansy, truth or dare?" Blaise asked.

"Truth."

"Aww come on, Pans, seriously?" Lizzie protested.

"If you could kiss anyone in this room, who would it be?" Blaise asked. Pansy's eyes flicked to me for a second, but she then scan the room.

"Well Theo doesn't look to bad in his pirate costume," Pansy said after a moment's consideration. I scoffed out loud at this.

"Theodore Nott?" Lizzie questioned.

"Yeah, I mean look at his biceps," she crooned.

"Alright, Pansy your turn," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Lizzie, truth or dare?" she asked the other girl.

"Dare," Lizzie returned.

"Go drink another cup of Firewhiskey."

"Okay." Liz got up and was back with a cup before I could even protest. She swallowed it all.

"Lizzie!" I shouted.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be innocent. I only sighed in return.

"Draco, truth or dare?" she asked me.

"Truth, I'm not about to take a dare from you drunk."

"Hmmm. If you could have sex with either Pansy or me, who would you choose?" she smirked at me. I froze.

"Ooo, good one, Liz," Blaise laughed.

Have sex with Pansy or Lizzie? I mean the answer is obvious but I'm not about to admit that to her.

"Neither of you, because you're my best friends," I said, feeling the blush rise into my cheeks.

"Aww, you're no fun," Lizzie pouted.

"Your turn, D," Blaise said.

"Blaise, truth or dare?" I asked him, desperate to change the subject.

"Dare," he replied gallantly.

"Kiss Pansy," I said easily. They're going to hook up tonight anyway, so I'm just pushing them in the right direction.

Blaise smiled and leaned over to place a sloppy kiss on Pansy's lips.

"There," he smirked. "Lizzie, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" she said excitedly.

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?" This perked my attention. Lizzie and I had shared many secrets before, but we had never talked about our biggest secrets.

She placed her hand on her chin to tell us she was thinking and furrowed her eyebrows.

What could her secret possibly be, though? She broke her mum's favorite vase when she was nine? No, that was me. She steals money from her brother? No, that's not a secret.

"I'm a muggleborn," she said finally, dropping her hand from her chin.

"What?!" Blaise, Pansy, and I all said at once. Our jaws were practically on the ground from the shock of Lizzie's reveal.

"My mum and dad are muggles," she nodded.

"And you've kept that from us for five years why?" Blaise asked. Anyone could tell that Blaise, Pansy, and I were getting angry. Pansy's natural flirty expression had changed to one consisting of a crinkled nose and pursed lips, and Blaise's lip was beginning to curl.

"Because I know you guys don't like muggleborns." She shrugged as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

"And for good reason," Pansy sneered. "I can't believe you would lie to me like that."

"Well, I wasn't lying, just withholding the truth," she snapped back. She was slowly coming to realize her mistake; I could see it in her eyes, they were beginning to sober up, while our anger with her grew.

"I can't believe you're a- a- a mudblood," I spit at her, angry of her deception.

"Don't call me that, Draco," she said, flinching at the word.

"He's right. You're a mudblood," Blaise said through his teeth.

"Please, don't use that word," Lizzie begged us, tears forming in her eyes.

"Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood," Pansy taunted her. "Why don't you go to your mudblood room and cry your-mudblood-self to sleep." Lizzie's chin quivered slightly before she got up and dashed away.


	7. Chapter 7

Draco's POV:

I spotted Lizzie and Pansy as soon as they entered the common room. Pansy was kind of hard to miss in her costume. And of course I could never miss Lizzie in a room.

Liz looked wonderful in her costume this year. She had quite obviously borrowed the dress from Pansy, for I knew Liz would never buy a dress so revealing. Not that I'm complaining. The dress was white and silver and there was a halo floating above her head. Pansy was dressed as a cat in her slinky black outfit.

I asked Lizzie and Pansy to dance, because everyone knew that dancing was the best part of Slytherin parties. When we dance, we don't shyly shake our hips back and forth, we bounce and throw our heads around like there's no tomorrow. Everyone gets sweaty fast but no one cares.

"Do The Hippogriff" began to play, and Lizzie, Pansy, Blaise, and I started to jump with our arms in the air. Our bodies bumped against each other as sweat quickly began to form at the base of my neck. Lizzie's eyes were shut and her arms were raised high above her head. She jumped up and down beside me.

Pansy and Blaise danced very close to each other, their bodies rubbing together.

Several songs later, after I had shed my jacket, Lizzie suggested that we go get drinks. We all hastily agreed. We shoved our way through the crowd of dancing Slytherin's to the table on the far side of the room which held the drinks. Blaise and Lizzie downed two cups before I had even taken a sip of mine. As soon as the cool liquid slipped into my mouth, I knew it had Firewhiskey in it.

"Hey, who got these drinks?" I coughed.

"I did mate, why?" Blaise smiled while Lizzie drank another cup.

"There's Firewhiskey in this," I stated more to Lizzie than anyone else.

"Of course there is, it's not a Slytherin party without some alcohol, now is it?" Blaise slurred.

Already the spiked drink was taking effect on Lizzie and Blaise. Lizzie's shoulders had relaxed and her eyes became slightly unfocused. She reached for another cup but I caught her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't drink too much at once or you'll get alcohol poisoning," I warned her.

"Oh, calm down Draco, I'll be fine," she drawled.

"He's right, Liz, you're gonna have a massive headache when you wake up. You too, Blaise," Pansy shouted over the music.

"Headache, psh, who cares about headaches?" Blaise laughed.

"See? This guy knows how to party!" Lizzie said, clinking her cup against Blaise's.

"Alright, enough of that," I said, taking the cup from Lizzie. "Let's go dance some more." She smiled and grabbed my hand leading me towards the dance floor.

"Wait!" Blaise said suddenly. "We should play truth or dare!"

Lizzie gasped loudly and dropped my hand. "Yes!" she shouted.

"Alright, if it keeps you from drinking any more," I agreed. Lizzie grabbed mine and Pansy's hands and led us to a corner with a sofa. She plopped down and pulled me down beside her. Pansy sat on the other side of me, and Blaise sat on the floor in front of us.

"Who first?" Pansy asked.

"Blaise, since it was his idea," I said.

"Okay, Pansy, truth or dare?" Blaise asked.

"Truth."

"Aww come on, Pans, seriously?" Lizzie protested.

"If you could kiss anyone in this room, who would it be?" Blaise asked. Pansy's eyes flicked to me for a second, but she then scan the room.

"Well Theo doesn't look to bad in his pirate costume," Pansy said after a moment's consideration. I scoffed out loud at this.

"Theodore Nott?" Lizzie questioned.

"Yeah, I mean look at his biceps," she crooned.

"Alright, Pansy your turn," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Lizzie, truth or dare?" she asked the other girl.

"Dare," Lizzie returned.

"Go drink another cup of Firewhiskey."

"Okay." Liz got up and was back with a cup before I could even protest. She swallowed it all.

"Lizzie!" I shouted.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be innocent. I only sighed in return.

"Draco, truth or dare?" she asked me.

"Truth, I'm not about to take a dare from you drunk."

"Hmmm. If you could have sex with either Pansy or me, who would you choose?" she smirked at me. I froze.

"Ooo, good one, Liz," Blaise laughed.

Have sex with Pansy or Lizzie? I mean the answer is obvious but I'm not about to admit that to her.

"Neither of you, because you're my best friends," I said, feeling the blush rise into my cheeks.

"Aww, you're no fun," Lizzie pouted.

"Your turn, D," Blaise said.

"Blaise, truth or dare?" I asked him, desperate to change the subject.

"Dare," he replied gallantly.

"Kiss Pansy," I said easily. They're going to hook up tonight anyway, so I'm just pushing them in the right direction.

Blaise smiled and leaned over to place a sloppy kiss on Pansy's lips.

"There," he smirked. "Lizzie, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" she said excitedly.

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?" This perked my attention. Lizzie and I had shared many secrets before, but we had never talked about our biggest secrets.

She placed her hand on her chin to tell us she was thinking and furrowed her eyebrows.

What could her secret possibly be, though? She broke her mum's favorite vase when she was nine? No, that was me. She steals money from her brother? No, that's not a secret.

"I'm a muggleborn," she said finally, dropping her hand from her chin.

"What?!" Blaise, Pansy, and I all said at once. Our jaws were practically on the ground from the shock of Lizzie's reveal.

"My mum and dad are muggles," she nodded.

"And you've kept that from us for five years why?" Blaise asked. Anyone could tell that Blaise, Pansy, and I were getting angry. Pansy's natural flirty expression had changed to one consisting of a crinkled nose and pursed lips, and Blaise's lip was beginning to curl.

"Because I know you guys don't like muggleborns." She shrugged as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

"And for good reason," Pansy sneered. "I can't believe you would lie to me like that."

"Well, I wasn't lying, just withholding the truth," she snapped back. She was slowly coming to realize her mistake; I could see it in her eyes, they were beginning to sober up, while our anger with her grew.

"I can't believe you're a- a- a mudblood," I spit at her, angry of her deception.

"Don't call me that, Draco," she said, flinching at the word.

"He's right. You're a mudblood," Blaise said through his teeth.

"Please, don't use that word," Lizzie begged us, tears forming in her eyes.

"Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood," Pansy taunted her. "Why don't you go to your mudblood room and cry your-mudblood-self to sleep." Lizzie's chin quivered slightly before she got up and dashed away.


	8. Chapter 8

Lizzie's POV:

The next Saturday was a Hogsmeade trip. I was originally planning on staying back and working in the library, until Harry had invited me to tag along with him, Ron, and Hermione. At first I began to deny, but the look on his face made me choose otherwise.

I felt like an outsider with the three friends, for they were so close and I was just a pity friend.

"The weather is certainly starting to cool off," Hermione commented as we sat down in the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.

"It sure is," Harry agreed. I nodded but stayed silent.

Once the butterbeer had arrived, I removed my mittens as to feel the warmth of the drink. Harry noticed the words on my hand. Somehow I had managed to forget about them when I took off my mittens.

"What's that?" he asked me curiously, pointing to my right hand.

"Oh, it's nothing," I stated, hurriedly hiding the hand under the table.

"No, I'm sorry. She made me too," he said holding his own hand to me. I studied his hand for a moment. Indeed, words were carved into his hand as well. I must not tell lies. "She thinks I'm lying when I say Voldemort is back," he explained to my confused expression.

"So he really is back?" I whispered. Of course, I had heard rumors of Voldemort killing Cedric during the Triwizard, but I didn't want to believe it.

"Yeah," Harry answered gravely.

"So on the subject of things no one wants to talk about, what happened between you and Malfoy? You two used to always be together," Ron asked gulping down his butterbeer. I didn't want to talk about Draco at that moment, but felt like I owed it to Harry, since he had just shared with me.

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed.

"No, it's okay, I- uh- I accidentally let it slip that I'm a muggleborn," I mumbled.

"He didn't know before?" Harry asked.

"I hid it. For good reason, obviously."

"So he just dumped you?" Ron asked. Leave it to him to be blunt.

"We weren't dating, but as a friend, yeah, I guess you could say he dumped me," I smiled softly.

"I'm really sorry, Lizzie," Harry said, placing his hand on top of mine. The contact made me flinch.

"Sorry, it still hurts," I muttered.

"You know, you're not bad for a Slytherin," Ron said.

"And you guys aren't that bad for Gryffindors," I answered with a small laugh.

\---

"Alright, everyone pair up!" I shouted over top of the chatter. Immediately everyone in the room moved to be next to their friends. "And remember, Finite Incantatem should end most jinxes, if it doesn't I guess you're screwed," I trailed off at the end of the sentence so only those nearest to me heard.

Tonight, I was teaching Dumbledore's Army some spare jinxes and hexes that could be useful in battle. Obviously, more powerful spells should be used in dangerous situations, but when I told Harry this, he insisted that I still come and teach everyone.

As spells began to fly, I walked between pairs to give helpful hints.

"Try not to flourish your wand so much, Neville," I told the boy who was attempting to use the Ebublio jinx on Luna. "Just a little flick."

"Right," he said, trying the spell again. Luna was then trapped inside of a large, shiny bubble.

"Good job, Neville!" she exclaimed, slightly muffled.

"Great, now try to release her. Finite Incantatem," I told him.

"Finite Incantatem," he spoke with a flick of his wand. When nothing happened, I told him to try again. "F-Finite Incantatem." Luna was freed with a small pop.

"You're doing wonderful, Liz," Harry said as I walked by him and Ron.

"Thank you," I smiled broadly. The two boys were standing with their wands pointed at each other, wand arms fully extended. Harry's curly hair was standing on end, like usual, while Ron's sat controlled on top of his head.

"Would you mind if I went around to give some pointers?" Harry asked sheepishly. "I don't feel right just standing here."

"No, by all means, please do!" I told him, relieved. "I hate teaching like this, I'll switch with you and practice with Ron a bit."

"Brilliant," he grinned.

"So what spell were you guys working on?" I asked Ron as Harry walked away. I took Harry's spot and looked to Ron for an answer.

"The Impedimenta jinx," he replied. (Thank goodness they were practicing one of the more useful jinxes.)

"Alright, try me," I said, holding my arms out to give him a wide target and walking forward slowly.

"Impedimenta," he shouted. My legs suddenly felt like I was walking through a pool of jello. It was an odd feeling and I loathed feeling so trapped suddenly.

"Nice, Ron!" I exclaimed, trying my very hardest to walk to show him how well he did. "Now try and reverse it."

"Finite Incantatem." My legs returned to normal.


	9. Chapter 9

Draco’s POV:

“Draky, will you help me with my Potions essay?” Pansy crooned to me Sunday at lunch. 

“I guess, but it’s got to be fast, I have my own homework to do,” I told her, picking up my bag. She linked her arm through mine and led me to the library. Before we were about to turn into the library, she pulled me into an empty classroom. “Pansy, what-”

“We never get to be alone, Draky,” she said in a sultry voice, pulling lightly on my tie and pushing me up against the door.

“Pansy, stop-”

“I know you like this,” she purred and pressed her body up against mine. “I know you want this.”

“I don’t want this, Pansy,” I told her forcefully.

“Don’t lie, Draco,” she growled while untying my tie.

“No, Pansy,” I said angrily, pushing her off of me. Pansy has tried things like this on me before, and sure maybe a few times I let her, but I wasn’t feeling it today.

“Why not?” she asked taking a step back to me.

“I just- I don’t know,” I told her, running a hand through my hair.

“Is it because of Samuels?” she asked in a dangerous tone. “I know you have feelings for her.”

“Lizzie? Please, I wouldn’t-”

“It is,” she narrowed her eyes at me, “I knew it.”

“It is not,” I argued.

“I see the way you look at her, and ever since she let loose her secret, you’ve been so grumpy and unhappy.”

“You’re just as grumpy,” I gritted, turning on my heel and storming out of the room. 

Me and Lizzie? That’s as unthinkable as Dumbledore and Trelawney. We are just friends. Not even that anymore. We are strangers. I would never fancy Lizzie. She’s a mud- muggleborn. 

Did I just stop myself from calling her a mudblood?

Yes, you did. You know how she never liked that word. Think about how angry she would be if you called her that while she was sober. 

Why do I care how angry she would be? She’s not my friend anymore.

But you wish she was.

I do not. She lied to me. For five years.

Because she knew how you would react if you found out. She was protecting herself. You can’t blame her. She’s a Slytherin for a reason.

She lied!

You called her a mudblood.

Because she is one.

Even so, you should apologize to her. She’ll forgive you.

Even if I wanted to, she wouldn’t forgive me. She’s too proud.

Apologize.

She won’t forgive me.

Apologize. It’s worth a try.

She won’t forgive me!

Prove me wrong.

Fine! I will. I’ll apologize and I’ll show you how she won’t forgive me. 

I angrily stormed back to the Slytherin common room. Lizzie better be there. 

When I entered the cold room, everyone turned to look at me. I had unknowingly made a spectacle. I looked into each person’s face in search of the one person I wanted to see right now. 

I saw every color of eye. Green, blue, hazel, brown, black, but not grey. I huffed loudly.

Where was she? If she wasn’t here, where else could she be? 

I decided to try the library next, as I had not seen her at lunch. 

By the time I had made my way all the way from the dungeons to the library, my mood had considerably cooled down. It wouldn’t do me well to approach Lizzie and angrily apologize to her. 

I pictured myself standing in front of her and shouting my apologies at her.

Searching through each bookshelf, I looked for grey eyes. Not silver grey. Stormy grey. Like a dark cloud. Like a rain cloud. 

I found them in the furthest corner, staring down at a Quidditch book. When I saw them, I froze. 

Was I actually about to do this? Was I going to swallow my Malfoy pride and apologize to a muggleborn?

Yes.

The dark, grey eyes found my lighter ones and, if it was possible, they darkened.

“Look, Lizzie,” I began.

“I don’t want to hear it,” she stated back to me, simply.

“I- what?” 

“I don’t want to hear your apology,” she said, clear as day, closing her book, “I don’t want to hear it, because once I do, I know I will forgive you, and I don’t want to forgive you.”

“I just want you to listen to me, you don’t have to-”

“No,” she articulated. “Apology not accepted.”

“I didn’t even apologize yet!” I said angrily.

“I don’t want to hear it,” she said, standing up and starting to walk away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“I’m sorry!” I shouted at her back. She stopped, and turned around slowly. And for a second, I thought she was going to forgive me, but then she spoke.

“Apology not accepted,” she whispered, and turned around without another word.

I clenched my jaw and watched her retreating figure. 

I needed to get out. 

I needed out of the castle. Now.

I ran through the corridors, knocking several students over. I ran all the way down to the Quidditch broom shed and I grabbed a broom. I didn’t even care that it was a Cleansweep. 

Hopping on, I launched myself into the air and soared over the grounds as fast as I could. The cold wind whipped at my face as I flew faster and faster.

Flying over the Black Lake, I leaned and dipped my hand into the freezing water, causing it to splash back up into my face. 

The feeling of diving towards the ground and having my stomach lurch gave me such a rush of adrenaline that for a while, I forgot why I was so angry. All that mattered was the feeling of the air biting my face.

I flew around for an hour before I landed under a large tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was the tree that Lizzie and I used to study under, but it’s leaves rested on the ground now instead of on the branches. 

I sat down and leaned my back against the trunk. 

Why was I so surprised that Lizzie had refused my apology? I knew she wouldn’t accept it.

You shouted at her.

Because she had refused to even listen to me.

Do you blame her? Think about how she feels.

“Draco!” Someone called. “Draco where are you?” I looked up, wanting to see Lizzie looking for me, but seeing Blaise instead.

“Over here,” I called back.

“What the bloody hell are you doing out here? You’ll freeze,” he said, hoisting me up onto my feet. 

“Went for a quick fly,” I replied, kicking at the broom.

“Quick? You’ve almost missed dinner.” I suddenly realized that the sun had in fact set. We began to walk back towards the castle.

“Oh.”

“Pansy sent me to make sure you didn’t freeze to death,” Blaise said. 

We walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall in silence. 

“I’ll meet you back in the common room after you’ve eaten, yeah?” he told me, clapping me on the shoulder.

“Alright,” I agreed. I walked into the Great Hall and saw that Lizzie was at the Slytherin table, scooping some sherry tart onto her plate. I sat down a few feet away from her. Far enough away not to make anything awkward, but close enough that she knew I was there.

Seeing as there was only dessert left on the table, I picked at some blueberry tart. Blueberry tart was one of my favorite desserts. I loved it almost as much as Lizzie loved sherry tart. I dared a glance down at her. She dipped her spoon down into the dessert and placed it into her mouth. 

I missed her. I did. And I wasn’t ashamed to admit it now. 

She placed another spoonful into her mouth and looked around. Our eyes connected. Grey on grey. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I smiled a small smile. She blinked at me. 

I knew something was wrong when her head lolled and she collapsed backwards out of her seat.


	10. Chapter 10

Draco’s POV:

I knew something was wrong when her head lolled and she collapsed backwards out of her seat.

I stood up in a flash and darted around the table to where Lizzie rested. She lied with her calves still up on the bench but the upper half of her body was on the ground, sprawled out. Her brown hair was spread out around her head almost like a halo. 

I knelt beside her and placed a hand on her warm cheek. 

“Lizzie?” I whispered, surprised that my voice had worked at all. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Lizzie? Come on, talk to me.” I brushed the hair that had fallen into her face away. She showed no sign of knowing I was beside her at all.

Suddenly Professor McGonagall was by my side. “Mr. Malfoy, what happened?” she asked in a hurried tone. Her black witches hat was sitting on her head slightly cockeyed from her rush to get to Lizzie. The emerald green robes she always wore were still coming to a stop after her body had.

“I- I don’t know. She just collapsed,” I told the woman, panic rising into my voice. Lizzie’s cheek was already cooling dangerously beneath my hand.

“Well, we’d better get her to the hospital wing. If you wouldn’t mind carrying her there,” she said, gesturing to Liz. Without looking back, she practically ran out of the Great Hall.

I nodded and slipped my hand under her shoulder. My arm wrapped around her torso and I pulled her arm over top of my shoulder. Her head rolled sickeningly. 

Slowly, I began to walk her to the door, aware that every eye in the Great Hall was on us, but the only thing I cared about at the moment was Lizzie. I needed to get her to Madam Pomfrey. Surely she would fix Liz up in a heartbeat.

Potter jogged to catch up to me from the Gryffindor table. “What happened?” he asked, the worry apparent in is voice.

“Why do you care, Potter?” I spat at him, wanting to be away with him now of all times. Couldn’t he see I was a bit preoccupied.

“She happens to be my friend, Malfoy. What happened?” he asked again.

“She just collapsed,” I gritted. “If you’re going to be here, at least help me.” He hurried around to Lizzie’s other side and wrapped his arm around her. She suddenly got half as heavy. 

We walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence. The only sound to be heard was our shoes clicking against the stone ground.

When we arrived, McGonagall hurried to Madam Pomfrey’s office. They both came hustling back out a few moments later. 

“If you’ll place her on this cot, boys,” Pomfrey told me and Potter. We walked over to the specified bed and set Lizzie carefully down. Her hair fell into her face and I carefully brushed it away, tucking it behind her ear. “Thank you for your help, but I’ve got her from here,” she told us, herding us to the door.

“Hold on, I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s okay,” I said angrily.

“There’s nothing you can do, Mr. Malfoy,” McGonagall answered.

“I am not going anywhere until I know that Lizzie is okay,” I forced, planting my feet.

“As long as you stay out of the way,” Pomfrey said, rushing back to Lizzie’s side. I walked over and sat in the wooden chair beside the bed. 

“If he’s not leaving then neither am I,” Potter came and stood next to me.

Madam Pomfrey pulled her wand out and started muttering words over Lizzie’s head. Her wand moved in slow meticulous circles. I watched diligently as her wand tip glowed a light purple color. 

“Good news and bad news,” Madam Pomfrey broke the silence that had developed. I released the breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. “Good news is that she should be perfectly fine once the antidote is administered.”

“Antidote? She’s been poisoned?” I leapt out of my chair. 

“I’m afraid so. The bad news is that the antidote takes about a month to brew.”

“A month?!” I asked in awe. 

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy. A month,” she returned.

“What happens until then?” Potter questioned quietly.

“She will stay here. She seems to have ingested a good amount of a Bloodroot Potion.”

“Bloodroot?” I injected.

“Please let me finish, Mr. Malfoy,” Pomfrey exasperated; I nodded. “Bloodroot is obviously a plant used in the Bloodroot Potion. It’s a very poisonous potion that induces coma in small doses. Had she ingested any more, I’m afraid her heart would have stopped immediately.” Sitting back down, I ran a hand through my hair. “Do you have any idea how she might have ingested it?”

“I presume it was in the sherry tart she was eating at dinner,” I whispered in shock.

“Sherry tart?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“It’s her favorite,” I trailed off.

“Minerva, you should speak to the house elves in the kitchen about this,” Pomfrey nodded to McGonagall, who briskly walked out of the hospital wing.

“Well boys, there isn’t much we can do until the antidote is finished. I’ll go notify Professor Snape immediately. If you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on Ms Samuels while I’m away,” Pomfrey addressed us.

“Of course,” Potter muttered.

Madam Pomfrey smiled slightly at us before she turned and walked away from us.

“Why are you here?” Potter asked quietly, a few moments after Pomfrey had left. “Lizzie said you hated her.”

“I don’t hate her,” I snapped. 

“You called her a mudblood,” he argued. I opened my mouth to say something rude back at him, but closed it when my eyes fell on Liz. 

“What if she dies?” I whispered. “She’ll die hating me.”

“She didn’t hate you,” Potter told me. “She missed you more than anything.”

“Then why didn’t she accept my apology?” I asked angrily.

“She was angry with you. You, her best friend, turned against her when something as little as her blood purity slipped out. Why does it even matter that much to you? You thought she was fine until she told you.”

“I don’t know. I suppose it’s because Father forced it upon me so roughly. I grew up with him telling me daily how bad muggles and non-purebloods were.” 

“Make your own choice then. Don’t let your father’s beliefs smear your own. You are your own person, not your father,” he said.

“I guess,” I mumbled. Easy for him to say. His parents are dead.

“I’ll leave you alone with her then,” he told me, placing his hand on Lizzie’s. He then stalked out the door. 

I leaned forward and looked at the girl in front of me. She looked so fragile and yet so strong. Her pink lips were parted ever so slightly, allowing air deeply and slowly in and out of her lungs. Her eyelids were closed over her grey eyes, her long eyelashes unmoving. The lines that surrounded her mouth when she smiled were nowhere to be seen. All of the muscles in her face and body were relaxed and totally at peace. Not a twitch, not a spasm, not one movement.

I wished with all of my heart that her eyes would open and meet mine. I wanted to see her beautifully smoky grey eyes. But I knew that if they were to open, she would detest seeing me here. And I didn’t blame her. I would hate me too. I was absolutely horrible to her, and then more.

“Oh Lizzie,” I sighed, a tear dripping from my eye, “what have you gotten yourself into?”

Mcgonagall’s POV:

My legs moved with the stamina of a small child as I worked my way down to the school kitchen. 

I still could hardly believe the events that had occurred tonight. A child poisoned? Unthinkable!

When I arrived at the portrait of the fruit, I tickled the pear and the kitchen appeared in front of me.

“Excuse me!” I shouted over the hustle and bustle of the post-dinner actions of the house elves. Immediately, they all froze and gave me their full, undivided attention. “I regret to inform you all that tonight a child has been poisoned.”

Whispers broke out among the small creatures. 

“Yes, poisoned,” I repeated. “The poison is believed to have been in the sherry tart the child had been eating. If any of you have information about this unfortunate event, I ask you to please, step forward.”

The house elves all looked around each other, perhaps hoping to find helpful information from each other. 

I began to lose hope when no one stepped forward.

“She forced Finsy, Madam,” a squeak answered from somewhere in the crowd.

“Pardon?” I called out. Slowly, a rather small house elf stepped to the front.

“She threatened Finsy with her wand, Madam,” the elf spoke. 

She possessed large blue eyes, especially for her size as a house elf. She was short for a house elf. A good ten centimeters shorter than the elves around her. Her small body was covered with a light pink pillow case, caked in flour. 

She was wringing her hands and refusing to make eye contact with me.

“Who did, Finsy?” I asked in hope.

“The girl,” she replied, still looking to the ground. “The Parkinson girl.”


	11. Chapter 11

Lizzie’s POV:

“Oh Lizzie,” Draco sighed beside me, “what have you gotten yourself into?”

I don’t know what type of poison Bloodroot was, but it was cruel. I could hear everything that was going on around me, but I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t even squeeze Draco’s hand back to let him know I could hear him. It was like I was paralyzed. 

When I found out who was responsible for this, I was going to give them a bloody piece of my mind. I almost died. But I didn’t.

Why?

Because I was too busy having a staring contest with Draco to eat my sherry tart. I wanted to be petty. I wanted Draco to know how angry I actually was with him. 

Without trying or even knowing, Draco had saved my life.

Draco. Was I ready to forgive him? I sure wanted to. I wanted to put all of that behind us and just go back to being best friends. 

He apologized.

But I basically told him to bugger off.

When you wake up, you could tell him you changed your mind. 

If I wake up…

Shut up. You heard Pomfrey. Snape’s brewing the antidote.

Can I swallow my pride long enough to forgive him, though?

Find out.

I guess I could try.

I promised to myself that the moment I woke up, I would reach out to Draco and forgive him. 

“I’m sorry, Liz,” Draco whispered, rubbing my hand, as if he had been reading my mind. “I really am. I don’t care that your parents are muggles. I just want you back, and I know you will probably never forgive me and I don’t blame you. I was horrible to you. But I’m sorry.” 

He held my left hand in both of his and squeezed. I tried my hardest, my very hardest, to squeeze back, but I couldn’t even get my finger to twitch. 

I heard the hospital wing doors open, and hurried footsteps approached my bed.

“Draky what happened?” Pansy asked from the foot of my bed.

“Someone poisoned her sherry tart,” Draco muttered back. He sounded like he had been crying, but he hadn’t, had he? I mean I’m lying right here, I would’ve heard him. Then again, I can’t see him.

“Poisoned her sherry tart?” Pansy screeched just a bit too high pitched, causing me to internally flinch.

“Yes, and when I find out who, I’m going to strangle them until they’re the one in the coma,” Draco replied with a calm sort of anger to his voice. It terrified me more than it would have had he yelled. 

Pansy remained silent. Why was she even here? Her parents were even more strict that Draco’s when it came to blood status. Why does she care what happened to me?

“Who could ever do such a thing to her?” Draco breathed in an almost pathetic voice. “Look at her, she’s so innocent.”

“Don’t forget what she did to us, Draky,” Pansy crooned. I could hear her footsteps approaching where Draco sat. She was probably hanging off of him.

“Can you blame her, though? She knew how we would react and she wanted to remain friends with us, so she hid it. Slytherin’s will do anything to ensure their own success and she did exactly that. You would have done the same thing, Pansy.”

I could hear Pansy huff, and then the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

“Could I talk to her for a minute?” Pansy asked Draco. Did she want to apologize to me for treating me like scum? 

I doubted it.

“By all means, don’t let me stop you,” he answered.

“Alone, I mean,” she said.

I begged Draco to stay with me. I didn’t want him to leave me quite yet. 

“Oh, I guess, yeah. I should probably go finish my herbology essay anyway.” I heard the quiet squeak of the chair as Draco stood up and pushed the chair back from my bed. He squeezed my hand and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be back. I promise,” he whispered in my ear, for only me to hear.

Then suddenly my hand became cold, and the room fell into another silent spell. 

I wondered if Pansy had left with Draco. Perhaps she had and I would get lucky. It’s not that I don’t trust her, I’m just not ready to be alone with her at the moment. 

“Alright, I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, listen close,” Pansy hissed. “First of all, how dare you lie to me about your blood status. You know how important that sort of stuff is to my family. I would never had been friends with you had I known you were a mudblood.” 

I wished I had my wand in my hand and that I could move. I wanted to curse her arse into next week. How could I have thought she might apologize for being so cruel. She’s a Parkinson.

“Second of all, Draco is mine. I don’t know how you managed to, but you’ve got him under your finger. All he ever talks about is you. He’s falling head over heels in love with you, whether he knows it or not. So when you wake up, you will tell him that you do not want him, unless you want another event like this to happen. And trust me, this time will me much, much worse.”

I heard footsteps click away from my bed as Pansy walked away from my bed. I was alone in the hospital wing for the first time since I had arrived. Naturally, my mind went to what Pansy had said.

Draco falling in love with me? Me? Of all people. He could have literally any other girl in Hogwarts. Some rich, beautiful, pureblood Slytherin. But Pansy said he was falling in love with me. I’m nobody of importance. I’m invisible. I’m not pretty. I’m not skinny. I’m not intelligent. I’m not rich. I’m not a pureblood. I’m just average. I’m me.

Boys have never liked me in anything more than a platonic way. I just wasn’t like that. Blokes don’t like me like that.

I lay there thinking about how bloody average I was for a while. At least it felt like a while before Madam Pomfrey’s voice sounded from beside me, making me (internally) jump.

“Alright, dear, let’s get you comfortable. After all, a month is a long time to be in bed,” she spoke to me, as if she knew I could hear her.


	12. Chapter 12

Draco’s POV:

Having the Potions master as a godfather is very convenient when your best friend has been poisoned. Professor Snape knew that Lizzie and I are friends, so he kept me updated on the progress of the antidote.

“Any day now, Draco,” the man drawled as I walked out of his classroom a few weeks after Liz had been attacked. 

That one sentence had made my mind begin to whirl. Any day now Lizzie will wake up. She’ll wake up and I’ll see her for real. I mean, I see her everyday when I visit, but that doesn’t count. She can’t hear me, she can’t respond. But once the antidote is finished, I’ll be able to apologize to her for real. To her conscious face. I’ll be able to look her in the eye and tell her how much I missed her. 

Her eyes. Oh Merlin, I missed her eyes. They were so solid, so dark, so beautiful. Dark smokey grey. Just thinking about her eyes makes me shiver.

Please, please, please wake up soon Lizzie.

I had gone in everyday to visit the girl. I would check on her before breakfast and then immediately after my last class ended. It broke my heart every time I walked through the large, wooden doors of the hospital wing because I knew I was there to visit my best friend who had no idea I was there with her. 

Every morning it was the same deal when I went to see Liz before breakfast. Today was no different. 

I gently pushed the doors open and peeked through. Madam Pomfrey was beside Lizzie’s bed giving her some sort of potion. 

I walked up to the bed and sat in the chair.

“Good morning, Mr. Malfoy,” Madam Pomfrey greeted me, slipping a bit more of the light blue potion down Lizzie’s throat. She was always giving Liz a potion when I came in.

“What potion is that?” I asked quietly.

“Well, this one is a substitute for food. Since she is unconscious, she can’t eat but her body still needs nutrition, and this potion provides that. I also give her a potion that keeps her hydrated. I give her one that keeps her body from becoming weak from no use for a month,” she replied, as the last of the potion disappeared into Lizzie’s mouth. I nodded. “You’re a very good friend, Mr. Malfoy. She is very blessed to have you.”

“You only see the tip of the iceberg. I’m not as good as I may seem,” I replied, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. My eyes went to Lizzie’s lips. They were parted slightly, as always, but today they seemed to be moving almost.

“I see more than you may think,” Pomfrey winked. I cocked my head at this. Does that mean she knows how I treated Liz when I first found out her blood status? “Yes, I know about your little falling out with Ms. Samuels. She is still very blessed to have you as a friend. You come in here a few times every day simply because you want to, because you want to see how she is doing. No one else has come to see her.”

“No one?”

“No one. When Ms. Samuels wakes up, make sure you tell her how much you appreciate her. In fact, why don’t you tell her now?” she suggested, clearing Liz’s bed stand.

“She can hear me?” I asked sitting up.

“She sure can. I‘ll leave you alone now. You know where to find me if anything happens,” she told me, walking to her office.

My eyes flitted to Lizzie’s still form once again. Her eyes remained shut, her hands still, her mouth unmoving. The only sign of her life was the slow up and down movement of her chest. I placed her left hand in mine.

“Lizzie, Pomfrey says you can hear me. I don’t know if you really can, but here I go. I miss you. I miss you more than anything. You could have died. Your heart almost stopped. But it didn’t and this has been the wake up call I needed. It physically hurts how much I want to hear your voice. If I start to think about what’s happened, my chest constricts and I want to punch someone. I miss the way you used to throw your head back when you laughed, and the way your nose crinkles when you smile. I miss taking walks around the school with you and talking about anything and everything. I miss being up on the astronomy tower with you. I know we only went once, but I miss it. I want to take you there again and watch the stars longer. I miss you Liz, please wake up soon.” I finished my monologue and realized there were tears running down my cheeks. I fleetly wiped them away, a little embarrassed. 

“Look at me,” I laughed, “crying over a girl.” I took a second to collect myself. “But you’re not just any girl, Lizzie. You’re my best friend and I need you back.” I looked down to Lizzie’s hand inside both of mine. I usually wasn’t one for holding hands, but every since Liz had been poisoned, I wanted her hands in mine all of the time. She felt like my rock. I know it should have been the other way around, but I couldn’t help that. 

“Well, I should probably get to breakfast before Crabbe and Goyle eat it all. Wouldn’t want to be grumpy like you when you miss breakfast. I’ll see you later, Liz.” I squeezed her hand once more and stood up, wiping my face. 

Father always disliked it when I cried as a child. He had forcefully taught me that crying is weak and that strong men do not cry. How he would hate me right now. Not only crying, but crying over a muggleborn girl. 

I hurried to the Great Hall and sat down beside Blaise who was busy eating a bowl of porridge. 

“Hey mate,” he greeted me while I transferred a small pile of eggs to my plate. I replied with a nod. Pansy, who was sitting on the other side of Blaise, chose that moment to speak,

“Good morning, Draco, where have you been? Breakfast is almost over,” she said around the tall boy between us.

“Visiting Liz, just like every other morning, Pansy,” I told her exasperatedly. Pansy asked me every morning where I had been, and every day my answer was the same.

“Why do you bother going to see that mudblood?” she asked darkly. “It’d be better for everyone if she just got it over with and died already.” I slammed my fork on the table and stood up angrily.

“Don’t you call her that,” I barked at her. “I don’t want to hear you call her that name or say anything similar to that ever again, understood?” I pointed a finger at her viciously. Pansy nodded briefly, and I stormed from the hall, my appetite gone.

This isn’t the first time someone has said something like that about Lizzie around me and it made me so angry. If she wasn’t a muggleborn, no one would have anything bad to say about her. That’s how sweet and loveable she was. The fact that she is muggleborn is literally the only bad thing people have to say about her and I hated it. 

My bag slipped off of my shoulder and I angrily lifted it back up. The people in the portraits watched me as I stomped past, whispering to their neighbors. I glared at each and every one of them. It probably wasn’t good that I was going to Umbridge’s classroom angry, but I honestly didn’t give a left bollock about it. Let her say something to me. Let her set me off. Let her give me detention. I would show her how bad an angry Malfoy was.

There was still several minutes until class started when I entered the horrible woman’s classroom, but I figured I could use the time to cool off. Merlin knew I needed it.

I plopped myself down in a cold chair in the back and set my head down in my arms. The coolness of the chair seemed to spread from my bum and throughout my body, and the lack of sound allowed me to relax. 

“Mr. Malfoy, is that you?” the voice I least wanted to hear at the moment called out to me. I lifted my head. Umbridge was standing in the doorway of her office looking at me with a curious and daring face.

“Yes, Professor,” I returned cautiously. She smiled and walked to her desk.

“Perfect, you are just who I wanted to speak to. As you will know, I recently passed an Educational Decree that disbands all student clubs and organizations, but I have reason to believe that there is a club running in secret. I am recruiting several students I trust to form an Inquisitorial Squad to help enforce this decree and any others that might be passed in the future. Would you be interested in joining?” I furrowed my eyebrows once she finished talking.

“An Inquisitorial Squad?” I questioned.

“That is correct. I will require full obedience at this school, and if Headmaster Dumbledore won’t enforce the decrees, I will take matters into my own hands.”

“What’s in it for me?” I asked cautiously. She raised her eyebrows, but continued to smile.

“How about I take away your assignment each night so you have time to fulfill your duties as a squad member,” she suggested. 

“And what exactly does a member do?”

“That I will share once I have more information about who will or will not join. Are you interested?”

“Yes, Professor. Keep me updated if you would, I wouldn’t want to miss a meeting.” I smiled at the woman, but internally, I wanted to strangle her. I didn’t want to join her little club, but I definitely didn’t wanted to do the essays she assigns us every night. 

\---

Later that day when I went to visit Liz, I had brought my bag full of books and homework. I was planning on spending the rest of the day with her and finishing up some of my work. 

The hospital wing was cooler than normal, and when I asked Madam Pomfrey why, she said that she had cast a cooling spell because Lizzie had been running a fever. The air felt chilly and crisp against my skin. 

Lizzie’s bed was the same as it had been for the last few weeks. She hadn’t moved one bit, but the small wooden chair beside her bed was instead on Lizzie’s right instead of her left. I sat down quietly beside her and looked at her. She was beautiful in the afternoon light dancing in from the windows. 

“Hey Liz,” I greeted her. Ever since Pomfrey told me Liz could hear me, I had been talking to her about anything and everything. “You’d never guess what happened in potions today.” When I visit, I ishare about my day just to have something to talk about. “Seamus Finnegan blew up his cauldron and just about took my hand off. The bloody fool put ladybug legs in his potion instead of billywig legs. Snape got all angry and took a bunch of points from Gryffindor. Potter looked like he wanted to curse Snape.” I laughed. “I’d ask you how your day went, but-” I trailed off.

I leaned forward and grabbed Liz’s right hand and squeezed it. “I miss you,” I told her, looking at her closed eyes. A rough patch of skin on her hand stole my attention, however. I glanced down and furrowed my eyes in confusion. Scabs covered the back of her hand in the shape of words. 

I must not tell lies.

“What the hell is this?”


	13. Chapter 13

Lizzie’s POV:

I had been lying in my hospital bed thinking about how good pineapple sounded at the moment when I heard Madam Pomfrey speak from the doorway of the hospital wing.

“She’s right in here,” she announced to whoever she was with. I heard a gasp and a few pairs of feet shuffling in a rush to my bed. I wondered who was here to see me. So far only Draco had been in (I don’t count Pansy’s visit). I knew that whoever this was, it wasn’t Draco. The gasp had sounded too feminine for him.

“Oh my God,” the source of the feminine gasp cried out. I immediately recognized the voice as my mother's and felt the imaginary tears prick at my eyes. If I had been able to do anything at all, I would have been crying. My mum sounded so broken in just those three words.

“What have you gotten yourself into this time, Liz?” a second voice muttered. This one belonged to my brother. I felt a hand touch mine.

“What did you say happened to her again?” my mum questioned through the tears that I could hear in her voice.

“Someone had placed Bloodroot Potion in her sherry tart,” Pomfrey spoke quietly.

“Sherry tart,” my mum sobbed. “It was always her favorite.” Her sobs suddenly became muffled so I assumed she had buried her head in my brother’s shoulder.

“Bloodroot?” my brother asked softly.

“Bloodroot is a poisonous plant that induces coma in small doses. Luckily, Lizzie here only consumed a small amount.” I think back to what happened the night I was poisoned and the staring contest with Draco. I make a note to thank him for that when I wake up as he had inadvertently saved my life.

“What would have happened if she had gotten anymore?” Gray inquired.

“I’m afraid she would have died,” Madam Pomfrey fretted. My mother’s sobs grew.

“Here, mum, maybe you should sit down,” Gray invited. I heard mum sit down in the chair.

“Before I leave, I should let you know that though she is in a coma, she is completely conscious. She can hear everything that is going on around her, though she cannot respond. She is paralyzed until she wakes up. Which will be shortly as our potions master is brewing the antidote.” Pomfrey spoke. I heard her shoes click away and her office door close.

“She can hear us?” Mum asked.

“That’s what Madam Pomfrey says,” Gray responded.

“Lizzie, if you can hear me,” my mum sniffled, “I love you dear, I love you so so much, and I’m so sorry that there’s nothing I can do. Please wake up safely.” I felt her grab my left hand tightly in her little one. I wanted to tell her that I could hear her, that it’s okay, that I’m okay, but my body fought against me. I tried with every bit of my soul to squeeze her hand in return, but I couldn’t even get my breathing pattern to change. I wanted to cry.

“Liz, I’d like to applaud you. You end up getting poisoned by eating that damned sherry tart. I’ve always been telling you that it’s not good for you. Can I say ‘I told you so’ now?” Gray joked.

“Grayson Maxwell,” mother snapped.

“I’m kidding mum.” I could hear the eye roll in his voice. “I miss you, Liz. I miss your letters, so once you wake up, make sure you write to me more.”

“Who did it?” mum whispered. “Do they know who did it?”

“I’ll go ask Pomfrey,” Gray offered. I counted how many footsteps it took him to get to Pomfrey’s office. It was thirty-three. I heard Gray’s voice but couldn’t make out what he was saying. Then I heard thirty-two steps back to my bed. “She wouldn’t give me a name, but she said that there were to be serious consequences for the student.”

“Student? You mean a child did this?” mum exclaimed. I wanted to jump out of my bed and yell that it was my best friend who had done it.

“A student,” Gray confirmed.

The room fell into a spell of silence where the only sound was that of my mother’s sniffles. I tried with every fiber of my being to open my eyes, but nothing happened. My body remained as still as ever. 

Just as I gave up, I heard the hospital wing doors open once again. A few footsteps echoed around the room before they stopped abruptly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that she had visitors,” a deep voice called out gently.

“No, it’s alright. Feel free to join us,” my mum replied. The footsteps commenced on their journey to my bed. They stopped right beside my head. “What’s your name?”

“Draco Malfoy, ma’am,” the voice answered. I felt a surge of happiness at the presence of Draco. I felt as if I had come home after a long day.

“Of course it is, I should have known. Lizzie talks about you all the time,” my mum chimed.

“She does?” Draco asked.

“I don’t know if there’s one letter she’s sent to me without mentioning you,” she chuckles. I blushed internally. Knowing Draco, he was blushing as well. “She really cares about you.” 

“And I really care about her,” Draco whispered very quietly. As if he only intended me to hear, but with no other noise in the room, I’m positive my mum heard. 

I felt Draco’s slender hand brush my hair behind my ear. I wanted to lean into his touch. It felt so good, so natural.

“So Draco, what exactly is your relationship with my sister?” Gray asked. I froze (if I could), and so did Draco. His hand stopped behind my ear and retracted. I cursed Grayson in my mind and told him to stop while he still could. He obviously couldn’t hear me.

“She’s my best friend,” Draco replied quietly. The sweetness in his voice made me “tear up” once more. It was the sweet side of him that he only used when he was around me, otherwise he was the stone cold Slytherin Prince that everyone was scared of. I loved that about him.

“And you don’t want it to progress any further than that?” Gray pushed.

“Grayson!” my mum exclaimed, obviously shook from Gray’s bluntness.

“I’m sorry?” Draco asked in a sort of shock.

“Do you want your friendship with Lizzie to go further?” Grayson you had better stop, I cursed him.

“Not the time, Grayson,” my mum snapped in her mum voice with a sense of finality. I mentally thanked her for trying to stop him.

“Sorry. I just want the best for her,” Gray muttered. For probably the thousandth time since I had been poisoned, I wished that I could move or at least see what was going on around me. It was torture to just be lying here like this.

“So do I,” Draco sighed. “So do I.”


	14. Chapter 14

Harry’s POV:

I placed my hand on the heavy door and pushed; it opened with ease, creaking slightly.

The air seemed terse with static. I wondered if it was a magical kind of static or just part of my imagination. You never know here at Hogwarts.

The sound of my footsteps bounced off the walls as I walked along the length of the room to Lizzie’s bed. She was lying there in her white button through shirt, no one had bothered to change her into more comfortable clothes. Someone had removed her green and silver tie and neatly folded it on her bedside table beside a glass of water. A white, cotton blanket was drawn up to her mid-chest and her arms rested gently at her sides. Her face was relaxed, as if she were only asleep. Which I guess she was, in some way. She seemed paler than usual, the natural pink blush to her cheeks long gone. Her eyelids were gently shut, her eyelashes curving away from her face. Her lips were a shade lighter than what I was used to seeing and they were parted just enough to permit air in and out. Auburn hair flowed from her scalp. Someone had brushed it away from her face and chest so it was lying behind her shoulders. The sunlight sat goldenly on her face, lighting her up. All in all, Lizzie looked beyond stunning lying there in the hospital wing.

I sat down in the wooden chair, sheepishly. I hadn’t yet been in to visit Lizzie, and I felt guilty. I had been caught up with Umbridge and the D.A. 

“H-hey, Lizzie,” I began, “I’m sorry I haven’t been to visit you yet.”

I looked almost expectantly at her, wishing she would open her eyes and tell me it was alright; that she understood. I folded my hands together, leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees, and bounced my leg anxiously. A few black curls fell in front of my face and moved almost in rhythm with my bouncing leg.

“Uh- well, I guess I should fill you in on the D.A. It’s going positively brilliant, actually. I just taught them how to cast a strong Protego. Everyone caught on brilliantly. Neville, of course, needed a little extra help, but eventually he got it down,” I laughed, thinking back to how Neville had almost broke a few odd vases and mirrors in the Room of Requirement. “Hermione thinks we should start teaching more offensive spells. She says we’re doing well with the the defensive, but it won’t stop anyone from attacking us, just delay them. I guess I agree with her. We’re thinking of teaching the binding spell and blasting curse next.” 

I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest for a few moments, thinking about what to say. Her breathing was slow and measured.

“I’d been hoping that you would wake up before Snape finished the antidote, but now I guess I’m starting to understand that won’t happen. I’ve gone on to hoping that you will wake up and jump right back into your old shoes, like nothing happened, but I’m not so sure that will happen either. I mean, how will you feel once you wake up? Will you go back to being friends with Draco? Will you still want to be friends with me? What if the poison wiped your memory and you don’t even remember me when you wake up?” I furrowed my eyebrows. I hadn’t shared my worries with anyone and saying it all out loud like this scared me, like maybe saying it would make it more probable. I shook my head of such a ridiculous thought.

The hospital wing was once more plunged into silence as I watched the girl in front of me. She looked so peaceful but I doubted she felt that way inside.

“Did anyone tell you they found out who did it?” I whispered. “Since McGonagall knows we’re friends, she told me the day after you were poisoned that she figured it out. She had gone down to the kitchens and spoke with the house elves. Apparently someone threatened one of them with magic to put the poison in the sherry tart. And you’ll never guess who it was.” I took a small pause for some dramatic effect. “It was Pansy Parkinson. She doesn’t know that anyone knows it was her, though. McGonagall hasn’t done anything about it yet; she’s too preoccupied with Umbridge.

“Speaking of, I guess you’ll want to be filled in on her. Well, I’ll tell you this: it’s hell. It absolutely is.” I didn’t even want to talk about the horrible witch. “I suspect someone will fill you in more thoroughly since you wake up, and I really don’t feel like talking about her at the moment. I hope you understand.”

I studied Lizzie for any sign of movement at all, praying for a twitch of a finger, a flutter of an eyelid. I just wanted to know that she heard me. 

“I really miss you, you know. Hermione and Ron wanted to come see you too, but I told them I wanted to come alone. This just didn’t seem like something I wanted to share with them. So I guess they miss you too.

“McGonagall says that the antidote should be done tomorrow though. Then, I’ll be able to see you smile again,” I said, smiling myself. “I’ll be here when the administer it. I want to see you as soon as I can.”

I continued to smile at Liz.

“It’s almost curfew,” I sighed, looking at my watch. “I have to leave if I want to make it back to the common room before Umbridge starts handing out detentions like sweets. I miss you and I’ll see you soon.”

I stood up and squeezed Liz’s hand, my gaze lingering on her a second longer before turning and walking briskly from the cool room.


	15. Chapter 15

Draco’s POV:

I flew shamelessly down the corridors from my last class to the the hospital wing. My robes were billowing out behind me in a flurry and my bag thumped against my right leg with every stride. Students saw me coming and leapt out of my way, knowing I wouldn’t stop for anyone. 

It was time. 

McGonagall told me that Snape had finished the antidote that morning and they would be giving it to Liz after classes. I wanted to be there as quickly as I could, so as soon as the professor had dismissed us, I had jumped up and sprinted away. There was no way I was going to miss Lizzie waking up. Not for the world. 

I skidded around corner after corner and skipped up set after set of staircases. One unlucky second year hadn’t seen me in time, and had been sent to the floor after I had bumped shoulders rather harshly with him.

When I reached the giant hospital wing doors, I heaved my weight into one and forced it open. McGonagall and Pomfrey stood beside Lizzie’s bed and looked at me oddly when they saw me.

“Mr. Malfoy, I figured you would be here in a rush,” Madam Pomfrey chuckled with a raised eyebrow. I hurried over to the chair beside them and sat down, a stitch in my side made me double over heaving for air. 

“You needn’t have run, however,” McGonagall remarked.

“Sorry - Professor. I - didn’t want - to - miss - her,” I croaked between breaths.

“You know we would not have followed through without you, Mr. Malfoy,” Pomfrey conceded. I nodded and continued to heave. Quidditch had kept me in shape, but sprinting across the castle had left me weak. 

Slowly, my breathing returned to normal. My heart, however, remained pounding. I sat up and looked at the two women in front of me. 

“How will this work, Professors?” I asked.

“I’ll simply pour this flask into her mouth,” Madam Pomfrey dictated, sweeping her hand to a clear bottle glinting in the light on Liz’s bed side table. It contained a deep purple potion that reminded me of the night sky. “We’re just waiting for Mr. Potter to arrive, and then I’ll administer the potion.” My gaze snapped up from Lizzie’s sleeping form to Madam Pomfrey.

“Potter?” I seethed.

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy, Harry requested that he be here when Ms. Samuels wakes up,” McGonagall declared. 

Of course Potter wanted to be there when she woke up. Saint Potter felt responsible for Liz now that he thought they were friends. He had to live out that bloody hero part he was playing. 

I was about to argue when the doors opened and none other than Harry Potter strode into the room. He strut across the floor and stood beside me.

“Malfoy,” he greeted me civilly.

“Potter,” I answered trying not to show how much I detested that he was standing so close to me.

“Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s get this started. Poppy, if you would please,” McGonagall requested. 

For the first time, I wondered why McGonagall was involved with all of this. Snape was our head of house after all, not McGonagall, and it wasn’t like she was the Headmaster.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and picked up the bottle. She gently placed a hand on Lizzie’s chin and opened her mouth a bit more than it already was. Very slowly, Pomfrey placed the rim of the bottle on Lizzie’s lips and poured the liquid in. She paused every few seconds to allow the liquid to slide completely down Liz’s throat.

Once all of the purple solution was inside Lizzie’s mouth, Pomfrey closed her mouth. I sat on the edge of my chair and held my breath.

This was it. Lizzie was finally going to wake up. After an agonizing month I was finally going to be able to apologize properly.

I began to count in my head. Praying that Liz would just wake up already.

One  
Two  
Three  
Four  
Five  
Six  
Seven

“How long will it take?” Potter whispered almost silently. It was so quiet that it could have been mistaken for a sigh or a rush of wind. 

Eight  
Nine   
Ten   
Eleven

“Any second now,” Madam Pomfrey replied, just as much on edge as me.

Twelve  
Thirteen  
Fourteen  
Fifteen  
Sixteen  
Seventeen

“Come on, Liz,” I muttered.

 

Eighteen  
Nineteen  
Twenty  
Twenty-one

“Shouldn’t have worked by now?” Potter asked a bit louder.

Twenty-two

“Shh,” I hissed.

Twenty-three  
Twenty-four  
Twenty-five  
Twenty-six

Her thumb twitched so slightly that I thought I was mistaken at first. I still jumped in surprise.

Twenty-seven  
Twenty-eight  
Twenty-nine

“That’s it, love,” I whispered, gently holding her hand in mine.

Thirty

I felt her finger twitch once again. This time I knew I hadn’t imagined it.

Thirty-one  
Thirty-two  
Thirty-three  
Thirty-four

“She’s moving her fingers,” I choked to the others in the room.

Thirty-five  
Thirty-six

“That’s wonderful,” Pomfrey smiled.

Thirty-seven  
Thirty-eight  
Thirty-nine

Her hand gently squeezed mine.

Fourty

A tear slipped down my cheek.

Forty-one  
Forty-two

I didn’t bother to wipe it away I was so happy.

Forty-three  
Forty-four  
Forty-five  
Forty-six  
Forty-seven

“Come one, Lizzie,” Harry spoke, “come back to us now.”

Forty-eight  
Forty-nine  
Fifty

This was beginning to feel like an eternity.

Fifty-one  
Fifty-two  
Fifty-three  
Fifty-four

It was hardly noticeable, but her eyebrows furrowed.

Fifty-five  
Fifty-six  
Fifty-seven  
Fifty-eight  
Fifty-nine

Another teardrop fell.

Sixty  
Sixty-one  
Sixty-two

Her grip on my hand tightened.

Sixty-three

I sharply drew in a breath of air.

Sixty-four  
Sixty-five

I squeezed her hand in return to let her know I was there.

Sixty-six  
Sixty-seven  
Sixty-eight  
Sixty-nine  
Seventy  
Seventy-one  
Seventy-two

She took a deep breath and turned her head a little.

Seventy-three  
Seventy-four  
Seventy-five

This was dragging on too far.

Seventy-six

Why wouldn’t she just wake up already?

Seventy-seven  
Seventy-eight  
Seventy-nine

Her eyes fluttered open and met mine. Several more tears fell from my eyes.

“Lizzie,” I croaked. 

Her eyes were exactly how I remembered. Her state had changed significantly, but her eyes hadn’t changed one little bit. The deepness of them made me shed more tears.

“Hey,” she smiled weakly.

“Welcome back, Ms. Samuels,” McGonagall lamented. Slowly, Lizzie’s head turned to the woman.

“Thank you, Professor,” she muttered.

She turned her head to Potter next.

“Hi, Harry,” she quavered with a tired, but glowing look on her face. I felt a pang of jealousy at the way she was looking at him.

“Oh, Lizzie, I missed you so much,” he said, stepping up to her bed and placing a hand on her leg. I glared daggers at him.

Madam Pomfrey saved Lizzie the grief of replying. “Okay, Ms. Samuels, I’m going to cast a few spells to make sure you are fine, but you should be able to leave before dinner.” I smiled at this. I would be able to eat dinner with Lizzie once again. Liz nodded shakily.

Pomfrey pulled out her wand and leaned over the girl. She began to mutter incomprehensible words as her wand tip glowed yellow. She placed a hand on Liz’s head and spoke. I caught the word ‘salutem’ several times. 

I waited patiently with my hands grasping Lizzie’s tightly. I was afraid that if I let go, she might slip away again. I knew I was being silly, though I didn’t loosen my hold. I needed to feel her.

After several minutes of silence save for Pomfrey’s muttering, her wand tip ceased to glow. 

“Well, Poppy? How is she?” McGonagall asked.

“Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. It looks as if the potions I gave you did their jobs. Let’s see if you can sit up.” Madam Pomfrey held out a hand and placed it behind Lizzie’s back. Slowly, the two worked together to sit up. 

“How do you feel?” I asked Liz.

“Excellent. Tired, but excellent,” she smiled at me. I felt my stomach explode with butterflies seeing her smile like that at me.

“That is very understandable. While you were unconscious, you were not exactly able to rest your body. I’d say an early bedtime for you tonight should help,” Pomfrey interjected. “If you can stand and walk on your own Ms. Samuels, you should be able to leave.”

I stood and continued to hold Lizzie’s hand as she slowly worked her legs over the edge of the bed. Once her feet were resting on the ground, Pomfrey hurried around the bed and held her forearm, she asked me to help her help Liz up. I happily obliged.

Lizzie leaned forward and placed her weight on her feet. Pomfrey and I helped her with her balance, for she was a bit wobbly. “Alright, now let’s try to walk,” Pomfrey suggested.

Sluggishly, Lizzie placed one foot in front of the other. She furrowed her eyebrows deeply in concentration as we worked our way around the bed. “Now try it on your own, darling.” Lizzie nodded. She dragged her feet around the foot of the bed and sat down in my chair. 

“Wonderful,” Pomfrey smiled. “Try to stay away from any strenuous activity for a while. I want you to come and see me every night before you go to bed. Mr. Malfoy, if you would please be her uh- guide if you must. Help her get around, carry her books, things like that. If you feel funny at all, I want you to come to me immediately. Otherwise, you’re free to go.”


	16. Chapter 16

Lizzie’s POV:

Harry and Draco walked with me to the Slytherin common room arm in arm. Me in the center, of course. The tension between Harry and Draco was immense. I could feel it in the silence of our journey from the hospital wing. 

Once we reached the entrance, I turned to Harry. His green eyes shined slightly in the dim light of the corridor. His glasses had slid down his nose and I resisted the urge to reach out and push them back up. 

“Thank you, Harry,” I commented, leaning forward and wrapping my arms around his neck. “For everything.” His shoulders felt sturdy under my arms and his long, black curls brushed my forearm. 

“It was no problem. I’m just happy to see you up and okay,” he smiled in return. His smile was shy and dorky, so unlike Draco’s cocky and handsome one. Harry placed a cool hand on my cheek before turning and leaving Draco and I standing there.

“Alright, so what’s the password?” I asked Draco after a few seconds of watching Harry walk away. I looked at him and he was glaring at Harry who was still walking down the hallway. 

“Sed astutia,” he replied grumpily. The stone wall slide open to reveal the dark room that I hadn’t realized I had missed. Groups of friends huddled around the tables studying who knows what. The sofas by the fire were practically empty.

“It’s good to be home,” I sighed, linking my arm back in Draco’s and ambling into the common room. Walking was still a bit difficult seeing as my legs wobbled like no other. 

As Draco led me to the sofa directly in front of the mantle, I received curious stares from the other students. I wondered if people had been told what happened to me or not. 

“Right here, love,” Draco muttered. I sat myself down on the cool leather cushion with Draco beside me. Brushing my hand across the material, I sighed in content. 

“Did anyone tell them what happened to me?” I whispered to him.

“As far as I know, no,” he responded, looking around at the student staring and giving them a death glare. 

“So I just disappeared for a month?” 

“Pretty much.” I looked around the room and met several pairs of eyes that quickly flitted away.

“Listen,” Draco said, placing a hand gently on my chin and drawing my gaze to him, “we need to talk.”

“Yes, we do,” I agreed. 

“I’m sorry, Liz. I really am. I was so horrible to you and I regret every bit of it. I don’t care about your blood status at all. I missed you so much. I was so scared that you wouldn’t wake up and that I had lost you forever.” 

“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I kept it from you and I’m sorry I didn’t accept your apology the first time.” 

“I’m so sorry,” he spoke again, staring directly into my eyes.

“It’s alright, Draco!” I chuckled, patting his cold hand. 

“Are you sure?” he asked sheepishly, linking our hands together. His long slender fingers made mine look short and stubby.

“Positive,” I confirmed. I had missed Draco so much while I was trapped in that coma. 

“Thank Merlin,” he sighed. I laughed at his relief and leaned my head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling very tired. I could feel the strength of Draco’s shoulder on my head. All those years of quidditch had done him well.

“Draco?” I questioned after a few moments of staring at the fire.

“Hmm?” he hummed.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“For what?” he chuckled.

“Everything,” I laughed. “But specifically for the night I was poisoned. I was too busy having that staring contest with you to eat my sherry tart and if I had eaten any more I would have died. It’s been eating at me this entire time. You saved my life.”

“I had almost forgotten about that,” he confided.

“And for everything after that. Thank you for coming to see me everyday.”

“So you could hear what was going on?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah. The entire time. I heard every second of the month. It was very boring without you there.”

“Wow, I guess knowing it and hearing it from you are two completely different things,” he spoke.

“Thank you for everything you said, too. Especially while my mum was there.” I continued to stare at the fire, watching the flames lick up the side of the stone.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered.

“Did you mean it?” I asked turning my head to look directly at him. He quirked his head at me.

“Mean what?” he asked curiously. 

“Saying you care about me and only want the best for me?” I searched his eyes for an answer, but he was too practiced at hiding all emotion from showing on his face. 

“Of course I did,” he replied, caught a bit off guard. I wanted to ask him what he would have answered to Gray’s question, but I decided not to push it. 

I rested my head on his shoulder again. My eyelids drooped in the dimness of the common room around us. Draco must have noticed.

“Go to sleep, love. I’ll stay here with you,” he crooned. I nodded and allowed my eyelids to droop shut.

My body was tired. I was so bloody tired. I hadn’t had one minute of sleep for an entire month and was feeling it. My legs had dragged when I walked, although it also could have been from misuse. 

Within minutes, I was deep in sleep on the shoulder of the only person I wanted to be around at the moment.


	17. Chapter 17

Draco’s POV:

Liz and I fell asleep on the sofa in the common room. When I was sure she was asleep, I gently laid her down and threw a blanket over her. I lay myself down next her and draped an arm around her, drawing her close to me. Her body and the blanket were enough to keep me warm in the cold dungeons we slept in. She pulled her arms up in front of her and snuggled into my chest. I smiled at this and closed my eyes. 

I awoke to the sound of students shuffling their way to breakfast. Stretching my arms above my head and yawning widely, I forced myself to wake up. 

I glanced over to see Liz sleeping soundly beside me. This sleep looked different than that of the coma’s. She looked like she was actually resting this time and I didn’t want to wake her up, but we had classes today. 

“Hey, Liz,” I said, nudging her. “C’mon, love, it’s time for breakfast.” She groaned and buried her head into my chest. Laughing, I pat her hair and coaxed her. “You don’t want to miss breakfast do you?” I asked, knowing that would get a reaction from her. She groaned louder and flopped onto her back. 

“Do I have to get up today? I just woke up from a coma,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hands.

“Yes, I’m making you go to class today. Now, up,” I commanded, shoving my hand under her back and forcing her to sit up. 

“Dracooo,” she grumbled. 

“I’ll carry you into the Great Hall just like this, unless you want to go change and make yourself look presentable,” I threatened. Lizzie really didn’t look bad. Her hair was still somewhat flat and the bags under her eyes weren’t too great.

“Fine. Merlin, you can be a git sometimes,” she grunted.

“I know. Now go change. I’ll meet you down here in ten minutes. If you need me, you know where my room is,” I told her, standing up and holding my hand out to her. She took it and I hoisted her up to her feet. “Do you need me to walk you to your room?” I asked, placing a hand on the small of her back.

“No, no, no. I’m a big girl,” she grumbled, rubbing her eyes again.

“If you insist,” I chuckled. We walked our separate ways to our dormitories. 

I pulled my old robes off and replaced them with new, better smelling ones. Once I had my tie tied and my buttons buttoned, I waltzed back down to the common room to wait for Liz. Seeing as she wasn’t there already, I sat back down on the sofa where we had slept to wait. Spreading my arms on the back rim, I watched the fire slither around in the mantle. It’s movement reminded me of a snake. 

After I was sure that ten minutes had passed, I decided that Lizzie was having trouble, so I stood up and walked down the girls dormitory hall. Once I had reached her door, I stopped to listen for noises. Nothing made it past the door, so I knocked lightly.

“Liz?” I called. When no one answered, I got worried. “Lizzie are you in there?” Again, I received no answer. “I’m coming in.” I placed my hand on the brass doorknob and turned it easily. 

The room I entered was very similar to mine, with beds surrounding the walls, each with their own respective bedside table.

Lizzie was seated on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest and her head hidden in between her legs. I noted that she wasn’t wearing any clothes, just her undergarments. Looking to the ground and making sure not to look at her, I walked over and sat beside her. I wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her bare back soothingly.

“Liz?” I questioned her quietly. “Are you okay?” She lifted her head and looked at me. Her eyes seemed dull. “Talk to me, love.”

“I-I’m fine,” she croaked.

“Promise?”

“Pinky,” she affirmed. “I just got tired there for a minute and had to rest.”

“Want me to help you put your robes on?” I offered. She nodded. I stood up and knelt by her trunk which was by our feet. Opening it, I pulled out a fresh outfit for her and set it on her bed. She placed her feet on the ground but didn’t stand. I tried not to look at her body.

I guided her arms delicately through the sleeves of her white button through shirt. Once both of her hands were visible at the end of each sleeve, I began to work on the buttons. I pushed them through the holes in the shirt carefully, making sure they lined up correctly. My hands brushed Lizzie’s upper chest but when I reached her breasts, I made sure not to touch her. When all buttons were buttoned, I reached for her skirt. 

“Alright love, you’re gonna have to work with me on this one,” I said gently. She nodded and stood up gingerly. “One leg at a time, and put your hand on my shoulder to balance.” Shakingly, she placed a warm hand on my shoulder and lifted her right leg. I slid her skirt over said leg and helped her get the second in properly. Gripping the hems tightly, I glided the skirt up her legs, trailing a finger up the side one leg. She shivered. “I’m going to tuck your shirt in now, okay?” She nodded again. I reached down and began to slip the end of her shirt into the top of her skirt. My hand brushed against her skin with each tuck.

Next was the tie. I wrapped it around her neck and worked it into a neat knot. Making sure that it wasn’t too tight, I reached for her sweater.

“Leave the sweater,” she mumbled, “I get hot easily.” Nodding, I replaced the sweater in her trunk and grabbed her pantyhose. 

“You can sit down,” I whispered, she quickly obliged. I slipped one leg into the pantyhose and lead them up her legs, then helped her other leg in. “I need you to stand up again.” She slowly obliged. I attempted to pull her pantyhose up the rest of the way, but struggled. Liz blew some air out of her nose in what I assume was a chuckle.

“You’re supposed to put them on before the skirt.”

“Now how was I supposed to know that?” I asked in amusement, looking up at her while still pulling up her pantyhose. Her eyes met mine and we just watched each other for a few seconds until I successfully got her pantyhose around her waist. I broke the eye contact to help her feet into her shoes. Once they were buckled, I grabbed her robes. I reached behind her and pulled the material over her shoulders, guiding her arms through the large sleeves, and clasping it once in the front.

“Okay love, that’s it. Want to go get breakfast?” I asked lowly, dipping my head to look into her eyes.

“Yeah, let’s go,” she replied tiredly. 

I hoisted both of our bags up onto my left shoulder and wrapped my arm around Lizzie’s waist, holding her closely to me. We worked our way slowly but steadily to the Great Hall. 

When we arrived, I walked us over to the Slytherin table and sat us at the end, away from everyone. We received even more curious glances than last night in the common room. I ignored them all and placed a few pieces of bacon on our plates. 

“What else do you want?” I asked the girl.

“This is good,” she answered, eying the bacon oddly. I made sure she had eaten a good portion of a piece before starting on my own.

After we both finished a good sized breakfast, I picked up our bags and rewrapped my hand around Liz’s waist. As we walked through the corridors to Defense Against the Dark Arts, I could feel Liz lagging behind. I tried to keep us going at a good pace without pushing her too hard.

“Umbridge, how is she?” Lizzie asked.

“I’m sure she’s doing mighty well,” I replied sarcastically.

“You know what I mean,” she muttered. 

“She’s horrible,” I stated simply. “She’s recruiting Slytherin’s for something she’s calling the ‘Inquisitorial Squad’. I think she’s just trying to use us as spies.”

“Us?”

“Yeah- uh- she kind of offered me a spot,” I said shyly.

“And you said yes?”

“Well what was I supposed to say?” I began defensively.

“Whoa no need to get so defensive, tiger,” she panted. 

We arrived at Umbridge’s class in silence. Lizzie was breathing heavily from the exertion. I rubbed her back and led her to a seat in the back of the room. Most of the other seats were already occupied, seeing as our walk from the Great Hall was slow and gave the other students plenty of time to get to class before us. We sat down and I placed her bag on the table in front of her.

“What did I miss learning wise?” she asked, beginning to catch her breath.

“Not much. We read about a few spells that I’m sure you could perform in your sleep.”

“Good,” she answered, pulling her textbook from her bag. 

Umbridge appeared at the front of the room.

“Good morning students,” she greeted her eyes gliding across the room.

“Good morning Professor Umbridge,” we all replied. Umbridge’s eyes caught sight of Lizzie and lingered.

“I see we are graced with the presence of Ms. Samuels once again. Welcome back, my dear,” she grinned so sweetly I wanted to strangle her. “Chapter 39 today, boys and girls. There will be no need to talk.” 

I groaned quietly and opened my book to chapter 39. We never got any variety in this class, and today wasn’t any different. Today we were reading about The Unforgivable Curses which would hopefully be more exciting than our other lessons.

I glanced over at Liz before beginning on the reading.


	18. Chapter 18

Lizzie’s POV:

My life revolved around sleep. Once classes ended, Draco would lead me to my dormitory and help me change into more comfortable, pajama like clothes, such as sweatpants and a t-shirt. We would then curl up on the sofa in front of the mantle and I would nap. Draco would wake me up for dinner where I would eat little to nothing. Turns out that not eating for month can decrease your appetite. After dinner, Draco and I would work on our homework and once that was finished, I would fall asleep for the night. 

I was tired all of the time and my body was exhausted very easily. Walking up stairs would leave me panting as if I had just run a marathon. 

Yet, slowly, I could feel myself getting better and better. My naps were decreasing in length and number. My energy was returning little by little.

This was how my life went for two weeks after I woke up. Then came the end of term for Christmas holiday. 

“Hey Liz,” Draco spoke the day before term ended at dinner, “I have a question.”

“Shoot,” I returned.

“Would you spend Christmas break at my house? Or at least part of it,” he blurted, pushing a bit of mashed potatoes around on his plate. His blonde hair wasn’t styled and fell in front of his eyes, hiding most of his face from my view.

“Would your parents allow you to have a muggleborn at your house?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, I don’t think blood status is such an important detail that needs to be shared.”

“So you’re not planning on telling them.”

“No,” he sighed.

“I would love to,” I smiled at him. He snapped his head up at this.

“Really?”

“Really,” I validated. “Of course I’ll have to write my mum and ask her if it would be alright, but I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. After all, she’s already met you.” I smirked at him thinking back to their meeting in the hospital wing. It was obvious that mum had loved Draco.

“I’ll write my mum tonight and let her know,” he declared, placing his hand on top of mine. I glanced down at our hands and smiled.

\---

The next day, Draco and I parted ways at Kings Cross. 

“Lizzie!” my mum had screeched when she saw me heading her way with Draco’s arm crooked in mine. She met me with a bone crunching hug and tears. “Oh my girl. You’re okay.”

“Yes, mum. I’m fine,” I laughed into her hair, smiling at Grayson over her shoulder.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” she cried.

“Well, here I am,” I smiled. “You remember Draco, right?” I nodded to Draco, who had stood awkwardly to the side until that moment when he stepped up next to me.

“Of course I do. It’s absolutely wonderful to see you again, Draco,” she greeted him with an outstretched hand. Draco grabbed it without a second thought.

“The pleasure is all mine, ma’am,” he smiled politely.

“Please, call me Ella.”

“And Draco, you must remember my brother, Grayson,” I said waving a hand at the man beside my mum.

“Yes I do. It’s wonderful to see you again, sir.” He stretched out a hand with a straight face. Grayson met it with a firm grasp and a terse nod. There was some obvious tension between the two. “Well, I had better go meet my parents before they begin to worry. It was brilliant to see you again,” he nodded. Before he left, he wrapped his arms around me in a homey hug. “I’ll see you later, Liz. Be safe.”

“You too,” I breathed into his neck. 

He released me and placed a delicate kiss on my cheek. Turning around, he walked elegantly into the growing crowd.

I pivoted and looked at my family.

“I missed you guys,” I grinned broadly.

“We missed you too, squirt,” Gray smiled back, using a nickname he used to call me when we were little.

“Let’s go before the traffic gets too bad,” my mum said looking around at pulsing crowd. We walked slowly to the lot where the family car was parked. Grayson opened the back seat door for me and mockingly bowed.

“Why thank you,” I giggled. 

The drive back to our house was full of the singing of Christmas music. Christmas was my family’s favorite time of year. The cool weather, twinkling lights, and music had a certain kind of magic different to that of the Wizarding Worlds. A kind of magic that my mum could experience first-hand.

Since my family had been running on one person’s income for several years, our home was pretty small. The front door opened up to a small sitting room next to the kitchen. The upstairs was purely bedrooms. Three to be specific. One for me, one for mum, and one empty one. Grayson had moved out a few years after graduating from Hogwarts. He lived in a flat in central London and worked a desk job at Gringotts bank. He would be spending the holiday at home with us, however, sleeping in his old room on an inflatable mattress.

When we arrived home, I walked through the front door and stopped. One of my favorite parts of living at my school was coming home, and I relished in every moment of it.

Mum seemed to have picked out the Christmas tree already, as a large pine stood in the corner of the front room, where we always put it.

“I left the decorating for you two, as always,” she called from behind me, following my enchanted trunk through the door.

That night, we adorned the tall tree with sparkling baubles and lights of every color while holiday music played in the background. Grayson placed the star on the top with care. I smiled on from a chair realizing how thankful I was for my family. 

“Hey mum,” I spoke from my spot in the plush chair, holding my steaming mug of cocoa close to me and soaking in its warmth. 

“Yes?” she answered from her place on the floor in front of the tree. She was adjusting the ornaments that were closer to the ground, sitting with her legs folded.

“Can we go Christmas present shopping tomorrow?” 

“Of course,” she smiled at me lovingly.

I fell asleep that night thinking of peppermint sticks and blinking lights with the smell of pine filling my nose. I felt happier than I had in a long time. I was alive, I was home, it was Christmas, Draco and I were okay again, and my family was together.

The next morning, mum escorted Grayson and me to our favorite shopping market. Flickering lights shined from the roofs and windows of every shop. A few faux trees stood in the window displays next to boxes of presents with bows sitting proudly on top. 

“Alright, everyone meet by the car in one hour,” mum smiled. Grayson and I nodded in agreement and we all went our separate ways. 

I went directly to my favorite shop, a small little thing called The Hidden Gem. I always bought my Christmas presents there. 

I already knew what I was going to buy for my mum and Grayson. I had had my eyes on their presents all year. For my mum, I was going to buy a gold bangle with three little hearts on it. One for each member of our family. Grayson’s present was to be a book I had seen him looking at for ages.

Draco’s present was a bit harder to find. I had to search through several different shops and hundreds of items before I found something that I deemed acceptable.

It was almost time to meet my mum and Grayson when I saw it sitting on a table in the back corner of a small shop called Bend the Trend. It was the serpent that had caught my eye in the first place and made me take a closer look. A black steel chain snaked its way across the table to a black steel pocket watch that opened to reveal an elegant looking clock. On the front of the watch was carved a coiled snake that reminded me of the Slytherin emblem. I bought it without a second thought.

“Is this all for you today?” the cashier asked me as he rung up the watch for me. His dark black hair reminded me of Harry’s in the way that it looked as if it never sat flat on his head.

“Yes,” I smiled kindly in return. He carefully wrapped the watch in a bit of brown paper before placing it in a bag. “Thank you.” 

On the walk back to the car to meet mum and Gray, I couldn’t help but run my fingers over the carved snake. It seemed to slither across the cool metal under my touch. I was already looking forward to my time with Draco at his home. 

“Hey mum,” I smiled to mother who was leaning on the car. “Is Grayson back yet?”

“Not yet. It’s just you and me so far.” She brushed her short blonde hair behind her ears with a brief sweep of her hand. She looked beautiful there and I felt a pang of jealously that I hadn’t gotten her looks.

“Leave it to him,” I chuckled as I leaned up against the car beside her. The cold metal cooled my skin even through my coat. 

I looked around us at the extraordinary beauty of the street. Winter made everything look better, according to me. The cafe in front of us was decorated with blue-white Christmas lights that lined the windows and roof. The shop next door had a large tree decorated in gold and silver standing just inside the door. Beside that, a candy store sported a colorful display of candy canes and chocolates.

“So what’s the deal with this Draco kid?” my mum asked out of nowhere, a hint of mischievousness in her voice. The question was so unexpected that I began to choke on the air I had just inhaled. 

“What?” I gasped, holding a hand to my chest.

“Draco. What’s going on between you two?” 

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean I hear about this kid all the time for five years until I finally meet him and then he invites you to stay at his house for the holidays. Don’t try and tell me there’s nothing going on there,” she quirked. 

“Draco’s my best friend mum! There’s nothing more to it,” I argued. Did she honestly think there was something going on between Draco and me?

“He’s cute, you know,” she smirked.

“Ew, mum! You’re like twenty years older than him!” 

“And he obviously cares about you. Anyone can tell.” She smiled at me.

“Mum!” I shrieked.

“I saw him kiss your cheek yesterday at Kings Cross. And at Hogwarts when Gray and I visited you, you should have seen the way he looked at you.” The piece of hair she had tucked behind her ear flew back into her face in the breeze. 

“Stop, mum!” She only smiled wider.

“And you care about him, too. I mean, you never stop talking about him. This is a match made in Heaven, Lizzie.” 

“He’s my best friend, mum. Nothing more,” I said sternly, crossing my hands in front of my chest.

“Okay, okay,” she grinned as she held up her hands in surrender, “I’m just saying.” I saw Grayson appear from the corner over my mum’s shoulder.

“Here comes Gray,” I chimed, thankful for the change of subject.

“Don’t fight it too long, Liz. Anyone can tell you two are good for each other. And I’ve only known him for like two weeks.” I switched my gaze from Gray to my mum and raised my eyebrows. 

“What are you two walking about?” Gray asked once he reached us. In his hands he held two white, paper bags.

“Nothing,” I blurted.

“She’s lying. We were talking about Draco,” my mum smiled.

“Mum,” I groaned. It was bad enough that she had to bring Draco up, but she also had to tell Gray we were talking about him when he obviously didn’t like Draco. 

“I don’t like that kid,” Gray muttered as he loaded the cab of the car up with all of our purchases.

“How come?” mum pushed.

“He’s a Malfoy,” Gray replied, shutting the cab door.

“What has that got to do with anything?” I asked beginning to get angry. I hated it when people used surnames and things such as that to judge people.

“Lucius is a known Death Eater, Liz. Draco is bound to follow in his footsteps. I don’t want you to get mixed in with the wrong crowd.”

“Draco is not his father,” I growled. 

“I never said he was, I just said that he is-”

“This conversation is over,” I gritted. If Grayson said one more thing against Draco I knew my anger was going to get the better of me.

“But I-”

“Drop it, Grayson,” I spat. Climbing into the back seat of the car and slamming the door shut behind me. Gray climbed into the driver seat and my mum into the passenger seat.

As he started the engine, Gray mumbled something under his breath. It was hard to catch, but I knew it was, “I only want the best for you, Liz.”

And just to be petty, I replied with, “So do I.”


	19. Chapter 19

Draco’s POV:

“Happy Christmas, Draco darling,” my mum smiled at me lovingly. She held her arms out to me and I walked into them. Mother was the only one who showed me compassion in my family and that is what made me so soft when it came to her. My father was more of a strong and strict figure who demanded discipline at all times. 

“Happy Christmas,” I breathed in return. Her Malfoy colored hair smelled of rose and vanilla. Today, half of it was drawn up into a knot on top of her head. Father stood over her shoulder with a straight and almost bored face. He didn’t like Christmas. It was too cold and cheerful for his taste, but he used to love the holiday when I was little. I don’t know what caused his change.

It was traditional to eat breakfast together on Christmas morning before opening any gifts in my household. So that is what we did. Mother, father, and I gathered around the large wooden table in our dining room that was set with three plates. I couldn’t help my mind from thinking about how empty our dining room seemed compared to the Great Hall at Hogwarts. 

Each of our plates was filled with our regular holiday breakfast of strawberry crepes and a side of melon. Over the years this had come to be one of my favorite meals. I picked up my utensils and slowly began to eat.

“So Draco, how is school going so far for you?” mother asked as she cut into her breakfast. This was a question I was asked every time I returned home, and the answer was almost always the same. 

“It’s going wonderful,” I responded. “Severus is making potions very enjoyable this year. It’s still one of my favorite classes.” That was something I learned from a young age. At school he was Professor Snape, at home he was Severus, and I was always to mention potions class when asked about school.

Mum’s hair fell in a solid sheet past her shoulders and framed her face to make her look even more elegant and powerful than she already was. Her high and sharp cheekbones added to this image extraordinarily. 

“That’s good to hear,” mum smiled. 

The rest of our meal was eaten with small talk of work and such. Father spoke lowly of the Weasley’s when they came up in his usual monologue about work. I knew Lizzie was friends with Ron Weasley, so I chose not speak, instead shoving a rather large bite of melon into my mouth.

Once we had all finished our food and the house elves had cleared it away, we met in our back sitting room where our larger-than-life Christmas tree stood. A small pile of colorfully wrapped gifts rested by its base. 

I sat in one of the small, cushioned chairs that perched near the dark mantle. Mother and father chose to sit on the sofa opposite of me. A house elf followed us into the room and began to shuffle through the gifts. It placed all of my gifts by my feet and my mother and father’s gifts by theirs. When it finished, it bowed and backed out of the room slowly.

“You first, Draco,” my mother nodded at me. I leaned down and picked up a medium sized box wrapped in silver and red. When unwrapped, it revealed a box full of my favorite sweets.

“Thank you, mum,” I smiled. 

After four of the five gifts at my feet had been opened, I had a growing pile of sweets. Seemed as if everyone had gotten me some form of sugar. 

The last box was a very small one that could fit easily in the palm of my hand. It was wrapped in a dark emerald green paper that shimmered in the light. A piece of nicely folded parchment was attached at the top. 

D,

Happy Christmas. Write me soon.

Liz

I smiled at the thought of Lizzie. We had only been apart for about a week and I already missed her a lot. Spending all that time together with her due to her weakness had brought us closer than ever. 

Carefully, I unwrapped the box, trying not to tear the paper. Somehow it would have felt wrong. Inside was a handsome pocket watch. It was made of a black, matte sort of metal that made the gift seem that much more elegant. On the front, a small, ornate snake was carved. I ran my thumb over the cover and the snake. The metal was smooth and cool to the touch. Knowing that Liz had touched it made me love it so much more.

“Who’s that from?” my father asked with an upturned nose. He wasn’t one for sentiment. In fact, I almost always got the same gift from him every year for Christmas and my birthday, a small package of sherbert lemons. I wouldn’t mind it, had it not been for the fact of my particular distaste of the sweet.

“Lizzie,” I replied, not taking my eyes off of the gift.

“Oh it really is beautiful,” my mother sang when I held it up by the chain for my parents to see. The watch twirled precariously and glinted with the lights of the Christmas tree. “I can’t wait to meet this girl.” An image of my mum and Liz sitting together sipping tea and laughing filled my mind and made my stomach flutter. 

“You’ll love her, mum,” I smiled. It was only a matter of days before Liz would arrive. The thought of her spending time at my home brought me a sense of excitement and yet nervousness. For the first time, I found myself worrying whether she would like the building. 

“What’s she like?” mum asked with a look of interest written on her face. I glanced back down at the watch in my hand with the image of Lizzie’s laughing face imprinted in my mind. Her eyes squinted shut, mouth wide with a smile of joy, head thrown back. 

“She’s wonderful,” I began. “She’s so sweet and kind to everyone, and she’s strong when she needs to be.” I thought of the times Lizzie jinxed people who spoke lowly of her blood status. 

“And she’s Slytherin, correct?” my father questioned, a hand resting firmly on the silver head of his walking stick.

“She is,” I replied.

“And pureblood?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. I sharply drew in a breath of air at this question. I knew it was bound to come at some point, I had just been hoping to avoid it at all costs.

“Actually she’s a muggle born,” I stated boldly, my eyes not meeting his. 

“A muggle born?” he hissed. “You mean to say that I am going to have a mudblood in my house?” His grip on his walking stick seemed to have tightened substantially along with the tension in the air. 

“Lucius,” my mother cautioned carefully. 

“Don’t use that word about Lizzie,” I growled.

“A mudblood in Malfoy Manor! Unthinkable!”

“Lucius, stop that,” my mother spoke, placing a hand on father’s shoulder.

“He invited a mudblood to stay in our house, Narcissa,” my father sneered, staring angrily at my mum. I resisted the urge to snap back at him.

“I am well aware, but she will be our guest and we will welcome her.”

“She is not deserving of a welcome anywhere, let alone our home.”

“We will welcome her,” my mother stated firmly. Father held a lot of power within our family, but everyone knew all choices were made by mother. My father fell silent after mum spoke. Turning her head to me, my mum said, “Lizzie will be welcomed here when she arrives. I’ll see to it.”


	20. Chapter 20

Lizzie’s POV:

Malfoy Manor was enormous to put it simply. It was a daunting building that was surrounded by elaborate gardens filled with greenery. 

When I reached the front door, I found myself shaking with the nerves of meet Draco’s parents. Stories of Lucius’ attitude and involvement in the war had been circulating around the Wizarding World for years. To say I was nervous to meet him was an understatement. 

I pounded the door knocker four times and stood shaking for several seconds examining the gift Draco had gotten me for Christmas until the door was opened. Draco stood in front of me in a handsome white button through shirt and a smile on his face. I threw myself into his arms and squeezed him tightly.

“It’s good to see you too, Liz,” he laughed into my ear. I released him and looked into his face with a grin.

“Happy Christmas,” I beamed.

“Happy Christmas,” he repeated. Holding his arm out to me as we had gotten used to walking, he led me through the entrance hall to what appeared to be a sitting room. It was larger than my entire house and held several small, tan sofas. On one of them sat the pair of people that had been causing me so much anxiety lately.

Narcissa Malfoy was a tall, slim woman with skin as pale as her long blonde hair that was drawn back on top into a delicate knot. She was a nice looking woman who possessed sharp features that she managed to make appear kind and caring. Her eyes were similar to Draco’s, only varying slightly in color. While Draco’s were gray, hers were a soft blue. 

Lucius Malfoy had a pale, pointed face and eyes that squinted when they came to rest on me. His hair was similar in color to Narcissa’s, and almost as long. It was tied back with a black ribbon behind his head. His eyes were cold and pale. He greatly resembled Draco in face structure. The way he held his face was where the two differed. Draco’s face was softer than his father’s, who held his head high and proud.

Narcissa stood when Draco and I entered the room and came to meet us. 

“Mother, Father, I’d like you to meet Lizzie Samuels,” Draco drawled beside me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,” I greeted the couple with a smile. 

“Call me Narcissa, dear,” Draco’s mother answered, wrapping her arms around me. Behind her, Lucius stood and approached us. “Now, while you are here, our home is your home.”

“Thank you,” I smiled kindly. 

“We will be hosting a Christmas ball tomorrow night that you will be more than welcome to attend,” Narcissa shared. 

“That sounds wonderful. You can be sure that I will be there.” I had never been to a ball before, but like every little girl, I had dreamed of attending one like Cinderella.

“Marvelous,” the woman smiled at me. “Draco will show you your room.” 

I looped my arm back through Draco’s and he led me up a set of stairs to our left. Slowly, we climbed the stairs and my nerves began to subside. 

“They loved you,” Draco whispered to me.

“Really?” I asked when we reached the top of the staircase. A long hallway with doors on both walls extended in front of us. The dark wood beneath our feet gleamed in the dim light. 

“Really,” he confirmed, walking us to the end of the hall. “This room is mine.” He pointed to the door on our left. “And this one is your’s.” He pointed to the door across the hall from his. Opening it revealed a large, cream colored room with plush, white carpeting. The entire far wall was taken up by a window that showed the back gardens of the Manor. 

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” I muttered in awe.

“Glad you think so,” Draco said, sitting down on the colossal bed.

“So this ball your mum mentioned,” I began sitting down beside him and admiring the room, “what exactly is the dress code?”

“Formal, why?”

“I don’t exactly have a formal dress,” I trailed off.

“Oh that’s alright, I can take you shopping later today, if you’ like,” Draco offered. 

“Thank Merlin,” I sighed. “I thought I might have to show up in my pajamas.”

“I’ll help you out,” he laughed. “We can go as soon as you’re done unpacking if you’re that worried.”

“Brilliant.” I picked up the trunk I had brought with me to the Manor and began to place the clothes I had brought with me into the dresser in the room while Draco gave me a run down on the house.

“There are three house elves in the house, so if you need anything just summon one. Your bathroom is right through that door.” Draco gestured to a dignified looking door behind me. “There’s a library on the third floor that I can show you some time. I know how much you love your books. I’d steer clear of the drawing room and my father’s study on the first floor if I were you. Father likes to spend his free time in there.”

By the time I had finished unpacking my trunk, I knew what life was like here at Malfoy Manor.

Draco and I took the Floo to a shop in Diagon Alley that I had never been inside of. It was made obviously for more upper class wizards. Draco had made it quite clear that he was buying the dress for me, no matter how much I argued.

Inside the shop, gowns lined the wall in a color spectrum of ruffles and jewels. Through an archway on our left, a similar looking room was filled with dress robes for wizards.

“Hello there, how may I help you?” a short, slender woman greeted me and Draco as we entered.

“I’m looking for a gown for a Christmas ball for my friend here,” Draco replied.

“Well certainly. Follow me over here, if you would dear,” the woman kindly gestured to a fitting room. Draco sat in one of the wooden chairs by the window display.

Once inside the dressing room, the woman began to inspect me. 

“Alright, with your skin tone, darker colors would do better. With your bust size, strapless is out. With your body shape, a mermaid style would be the best but any would work. I’ll be back shortly.” The woman babbled all of this more to herself than to me, while circling me. She disappeared out the door and I stood waiting awkwardly for a few minutes while she did who knows what.

When she returned, she had an armful of dresses. She held them up to my body and looked at me critically. One gown was dark grey with a black belt. Another was black with mesh showing the skin on my chest and stomach. The next one was a maroon, velvet one that would show a lot of skin. One was a large and very fluffy black gown with a low cutting neckline. The last one was silvery-white with a jeweled belt. 

The only one she had me try on was the silver one. 

“Oh wow, this one is gorgeous on you. Go ahead and take a look, dear.” She touched my shoulders and gently turned me to the full body mirrors that covered one wall of the small room we were in. 

The dress was of the mermaid style that the woman said would fit my body type. It hugged my body to my mid-thigh where it then flowed out to my feet.

“I love it,” I smiled. It did look good on me. This woman was brilliant at her job.

“Wonderful,” the woman rejoiced.

She helped me out of the dress and covered it in a bag to shield it not only from weather and dust, but also from eyes such as Draco’s. We walked out of the fitting room and to the front desk.

“Can I see it?” Draco asked, reaching for the bag in my arms. I snatched it away.

“You can see it when I wear it,” I smirked.


	21. Chapter 21

Draco’s POV:

To say I was nervous for the Christmas ball that mother had been planning would be an understatement. We generally have one each year and the guests are almost always the same. Father’s ‘colleagues’. Which really means his fellow Death Eaters. This year Lizzie was going to be attending the ball and I didn’t know if she would realize the common thread among all of the guests.

I held Lizzie’s small hand and we stood at the base of the glossy stairs that led up to the third floor. As I had promised, I was about to show her the library. 

“Alright, close your eyes,” I told her, grasping both of her warm hands in mine. She smiled and obliged, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. I waved my hand in front of her face to test. She didn’t flinch in the slightest. “Now you have to trust me and follow me.”

“Are you trying to turn this into Beauty and the Beast?” she asked as I began to lead her up the stairs. Her feet felt their way up each step before she placed any weight on it. Every time one foot found its place, the next would begin to feel out the next spot.

“Beauty and the what?” I questioned with a confused expression on my face. She pursed her lips together in a smile and crinkled her nose the way she usually does when she laughs.

“It’s a muggle fairy tale. I’ll have to show it to you sometime,” she beamed. Despite the fact of the muggle part of the story, I was looking forward to hearing this fairy tale.

When we reached the top of the staircase, I led Liz to the center of the cool room and released her hands. She dropped them to her sides and quirked her head in question.

“Wait here and keep your eyes closed,” I commanded as I turned away from her.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to open the curtains,” she giggled. I froze with my hand inches away from the intricate, velvet curtains that hid all sunlight from the room.

“Is that part of your muggle story?” I gripped the soft fabric in my hands and pulled them apart, allowing sunlight to sweep across the room and illuminate the dust in the air. No one uses this room much. 

“It is, in fact,” she spoke clearly, turning her head to the window but not opening her eyes. The sunlight shined on her face, lighting up her faint freckles and rosy cheeks. 

“Okay,” I whispered, “open them.” 

Lizzie bit her bottom lip and lifted her eyelids. The immediate joy on her face was astounding. Her jaw dropped in a smile that showed she was amazed and in shock. Her face lit up so much that the sunbeam on her face became dull in comparison.

Slowly, she rotated in place and looked at the bookshelves that lined the walls. She weaved between the tables and sofas that sat in the center of the room and trailed her fingers along the red fabric.

“I had no idea so many books could be fit into one room,” she grinned, obviously happy. How someone can get so much joy from pieces of parchment bound together, I’ll never know.

“I take it you like it?” I laughed at her running her fingers down the spines of books and reading their titles.

“I love it, Draco,” she whispered. “I might not ever leave.” She picked up a random book, leafed through its pages, and placed it back on the shelf.

“Our home is your home. You can borrow any book you’d like to.” I sat on one of the sofas as she continued to wander around the room looking at what books were on the shelves.

“Some of these are muggle works. Romeo and Juliet, The Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein. I wonder,” she trailed off her last sentence and walked to the bookshelf on the opposite wall from where she was and began to search the spines. 

I had no idea what Frankenstein was or who Romeo and Juliet were, but I pretended to know what Liz was speaking about.

“All of these books were written by wizards, so these muggle stories obviously aren’t so muggle,” I filled her in. There was no way Father would have muggle books in our library.

Suddenly, the girl gave a gasp of surprise and pulled thick book with red binding from the shelf by her knee.

“You mean Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve was a witch?” she asked, flipping the books over in her hands.

“Who?” I stuttered. 

“Gabrielle-Suz-” I cut her off.

“No, I heard you. What’s that have to do with anything?” I leaned forward on the sofa and leaned my elbows on my knees.

“She wrote La Belle et la Bête,” she grinned as she held up the book in her hand.

“Beauty and the Beast,” I translated without a second thought.

“You know French?” Lizzie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“A little. Father considers it the language all purebloods should know,” I explained with a flourish of my hand, dismissing the subject.

“Well I guess you learn something new everyday,” she chuckled, sitting beside me on the sofa.

“So what’s this story about?” I leaned back and rested my arms on the back of the sofa. Liz leaned into my side and pulled her legs up next to her. 

“Do you want me to read it to you?” she offered with a nod.

“Why not? We have nothing else to do,” I reasoned. It was still fairly early in the day and the ball wasn’t until later that evening.

“I have to warn you that this isn’t the same version that the muggle children hear. After Madame Villeneuve died a lady named Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont made an abridgement and since then, it has been adapted to be performed as a play, musical, and is even now a movie.”

“You’ll have to show me this movie someday, then,” I smiled.

“Deal.” 

“Alright now read!” I commanded.

“Okay, okay. Jeez,” she laughed as she flipped through the book. When she landed on the first page, she cleared her throat and began to read. “‘In a country very far from this is to be seen a great city, wherein trade flourishes abundantly. It numbered among its citizens a merchant, who succeeded in all his speculations, and upon whom Fortune, responding to his wishes, had always showered her fairest favors.’”

“Wait, fortune is a person? And she’s a she?” I interrupted curiously.

“Apparently,” Liz laughed. “Now let me read.”

“Go on.”

“‘But if he had immense wealth, he also had a great many children, his family consisting of six boys and six girls. None of them were settled in life : the boys were too young to think of it ; the girls too proud of their fortunes, upon which they had every reason to count, could not easily determine upon the choice they should make.’”

“Merlin’s beard,” I spoke, “six boys and six girls. Twelve bloody children, and I couldn’t get one brother!” Lizzie laughed at this. She threw her head back and her sweet laugh echoed around the room.

“I’d offer to loan you Grayson, but you two don’t seem to like each other much.”

“I don’t mind the bloke. He’s the one who doesn’t like me!” I exclaimed.

“Oh hush,” she smirked, “back to the story. ‘Their vanity was flattered by the attentions of the handsomest young gentlemen. But a reverse of fortune which they did not at all expect, came to trouble their felicity. Their house took fire ; the splendid furniture with which it was filled, the account books, the notes, gold, silver, and all the valuable stores which formed the merchant’s principal wealth, were enveloped in this fatal conflagration, which was so violent that very few of the things could be saved.”

“Well that sucks,” I deadpanned, wrapping my arm around Lizzie’s shoulders. 

“If you keep interrupting me like this, we won’t get through the first chapter,” she frowned. 

“Okay, I won’t talk anymore. I promise.” She continued with the story only after giving me a firm stare.

“‘This first misfortune was just the forerunner of others. The father, with whom hitherto everything had prospered, lost at the same time, either by shipwreck or by pirates, all the ships he had at sea ; his correspondents made him a bankrupt, his foreign agents were treacherous ; in short, from the greatest opulence, he suddenly fell into the most abject poverty.’” 

I was about to make a comment about pirates when I remembered my promise to stay quiet, so my mouth remained closed.

“‘He had nothing left but a small country house, situated in a lonely place, more than a hundred leagues from the city in which he usually resided. Impelled to seek a place of refuge from noise and tumult, he took his family to this retired spot, who were in despair at such a revolution. The daughters of this unfortunate merchant were especially horrified at the prospect of the life they should have to lead in this dull solitude.’”

Lizzie read to me for hours on end, until the sun was well gone from the sky and the stars had come out, when I suddenly remembered the ball. 

“Hey, Liz, we should probably go get ready for the ball,” I whispered when she took a pause to breathe. She looked at the window, which was now dark, and nodded.

“You’re probably right.” So I walked her back to her room, where I left her to dress for the ball. Once back inside my own bedroom, I dressed in my best tuxedo. I never did like the dress robes wizards wear these days.


	22. Chapter 22

Lizzie’s POV:

I stood in front of the full body mirror that hung on the wall of my bathroom and admired the reflection of myself that I saw. My hair was done back in a dainty bun at the base of my neck while a few curls hung down to frame my face. The makeup that I had applied was thin and classic. 

It was my dress that was the center of attention, my signal of faux dignified elegance. The lustrous, pearl-beaded fabric of my dress glinted, light reflecting from the bathroom’s glow. It fit flawlessly, the dress molded my torso beautifully, complimenting my feminine shape. The gown draped past my toes, slightly drifting from my legs. It was the color of a silvery pearl. It’s high neck style hid my precious collarbones wrapped in smooth, luring, skin. My posture was perfect, my shoulders were pulled back and my hands were held together in front of me. There was an pearl-embroidered band on the top of my shoulders. The light above was beaming directly on me, and the darker silver design was glittering.

I twirled once more before deciding that I should probably go see if Draco was ready. Slipping my simple, white heels on, I clicked my way across the hall to Draco’s room. I could hear voices and music drifting up the stairs already.

“Draco?” I called quietly through the door and rapped my knuckles on it lightly.

“Come on in,” he answered from inside. I placed my hand on the cool doorknob and twisted, pushing softly.

Draco’s room was more personalized than mine, which makes sense seeing as he is the one who lives here. His bed looked almost identical to the beds at hogwarts, dark, four-poster, green. His walls were mostly bare, save for the few framed photos I got no more than a glance at.

Draco stood in front of a mirror by the writing desk in the corner of his room tying his tie. His white-blonde hair had been swept to the side in the manner that he used to when we were younger. The suit he was wearing was a handsome solid black one that fit him really well. 

“You look nice,” I commented, walking to his side. His face was drawn into one of concentration with furrowed eyebrows and tight lips. 

“You don’t look too shabby, either,” he smirked as his slender fingers finished the knot. He turned and placed his hands on my hips and licked his lips. “I suppose we should go down if we want to make Mother happy.”

“Alright then,” I replied. Draco held out his arm and I wrapped mine through, placing my hand on his firm bicep. Together we walked out of his bedroom and down the stairs to the ballroom where the noise was originating. Our shoes clicked noisily, but the music coming from the ballroom covered the sound up easily.

The inside of the ballroom reminded me much of the Great Hall; it was similar in size and shape, and even had the Christmas trees lining the walls like Hogwarts did around the holidays. Lights twinkled from their perches inside of the trees while the ornaments glittered. 

A crowd already filled the room, everyone either gripping a champagne glass or dancing gracefully with their partner. The women were wrapped in silks and furs of the finest value and the men wore their best suits and robes. Narcissa and Lucius stood by the door greeting the incoming guests. Narcissa with a slight curtsey and a smile, Lucius with a nod of the head and a handshake. 

“Draco, Lizzie, I’m glad you two decided to join us,” Narcissa smiled. Lucius looked down his nose at me, but made no comment. 

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Mother,” Draco returned politely. I nodded in agreement. 

“Try not to get into trouble tonight, okay?” the woman urged as she turned to greet the next pair of guests to enter the room. Instead of replying, Draco just led me to the side of the room where he picked up two tall glasses of champagne. 

“What do we do now?” I asked as I took a sip of the golden liquid. The bubbles felt like pearls in my mouth, exploding with flavours that stood out against a rich, smooth background of ripe fruit and exotic wood interlaced with the fragrance of white flowers. I thought of the bubbles as the musicians in a symphony orchestra. They rose to a crescendo then diminished by degrees to close on a note of peace and harmony. “Whoa.”

“Never had champagne before?” Draco asked, drinking from his own glass.

“I can’t say that I have,” I quipped. 

“Don’t drink too much. You can get just as intoxicated with this as you can with firewhiskey,and we all know how you are when you get drunk” he replied with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk. Heeding his advice, I slowed down and made sure to taste all of the liquid I could. It was delicious. “Mum wants us to go socialize,” Draco spoke after a few moments, gesturing across the room to where his mother stood, waving her hands at us a bit. 

“Socialize with who? I don’t know anyone here,” I speculated.

“You’d be surprised. Just follow me around and be sure to smile,” he remarked as he led me into the crowd of people who stood beside the dancefloor.

“Draco darling! How wonderful to see you!” a woman piped as soon as we began to wind our way through. She was short and stubby, wearing a pink dress that clashed horrendously with the decorations and reminded me cringingly of Umbridge. Her sausagey fingers were layered in rings of all sizes and colors. Draco cordially shook the womans hand.

“It’s nice to see you too, Mrs. Dolohov,” Draco drawled in a posh accent.

“And who is this beautiful young lady?” the woman asked, looking to me.

“This is my friend Elizabeth Samuels,” he introduced me. I was taken by surprise at his use of my full name, but decided not to say anything different. After all, he was the expert here. And I do have to admit, Elizabeth sounds more formal than Lizzie.

“Hello,” I smiled sweetly. Mrs. Dolohov held out a severely-ringed hand which I took into my own. To my discomfort, it was warm and sweaty. I managed to keep my face calm and collected, however.

“Delighted to meet you, Miss Samuels,” she croaked. 

“As much as we would love to stay and chat, Mrs. Dolohov, I’m afraid there are other guests we must greet. It was charming to see you again.”

“Of course, of course. Until next time, my dears,” she grinned toothily and turned to the tall man beside her.

“Sorry about the name. Mother taught me to introduce people by their full name,” Draco muttered into my ear with his normal, informal voice.

“It’s alright,” I responded. “It makes me feel more elegant.” He laughed lightly when another woman stopped us.

“Hello, Draco,” the woman simpered. She was quite the opposite of Mrs. Dolohov, who was short and pale. This new woman was tall, dark, and very beautiful, wearing a dress of black that showed her cleavage fully. 

“Hello, Ms Zabini,” Draco voiced confidently. Zabini? “I’d like you to meet Elizabeth Samuels. She’s in Blaise’s year as well.” Blaise Zabini. That’s where I knew that name.

“Lovely to meet you, sweetheart.” This woman was not only beautiful, but she knew it. The way she held herself showed how powerful she knew she was. “I’m sure Blaise is around here somewhere.”

“We’ll go look for him right now,” Draco promised. I wondered if he actually planned on keeping it. 

“Wonderful.” Ms Zabini skirted around us to speak to someone else.

“Blaise’s mum?” I questioned Draco quietly.

“Yes. She has a proclivity for marrying rich men who mysteriously die off,” he said darkly.

“Wonderful,” I repeated Ms Zabini with a cringe.

We worked our way through the crowd speaking to lots of witches and wizards. Each one said the same thing ‘Nice to meet you!’ ‘How have you been?’ ‘How do you like Hogwarts?’. One man went as far as to tell us the story of how he fell in the toilet on the second floor during his first year. Draco and I could both tell he had already had too much to drink.

As we neared the dancefloor, I was beginning to look forward to the prospect of my bed. It was quite possibly the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in. The pillows were stuffed with hippogriff feathers and had cases made of the softest silk. The blankets were thick and three times more comfortable than my covers at home and at Hogwarts.

“Draco, my boy, how are you?” a man stopped us on our way to the dancefloor. Draco had just asked me to dance and I was glad for the excuse to escape the crowd of fake smiles.

“I am doing delightful, Mr. Yaxley. How about yourself?” Draco protracted with an obvious tone of annoyment in his voice. He wanted to escape these people as much as I did.

“Wonderful. I was just on my way to speak to your father when I saw you. I just had to say hello before running off.” The man was short and had a square face. His eyes were gray like mine and his darker blonde hair was pulled back into a ribbon like Draco’s father.

“I’m sure Father will be delighted to see you,” Draco spoke, trying to edge around the man.

“Now, who is this young lady, Draco? Have you finally gone and got yourself a suitor? She’s a fine one; you did well.” The man chortled despicably. I wanted to take my hand and throw it into his face and I didn’t know why. He just had an aura of darkness and rudeness about him.

“I’m afraid not,” Draco said through slightly clenched teeth. He was getting annoyed with Mr. Yaxley as well. “This is my friend, Elizabeth Samuels. She’s in my year at Hogwarts.” The grin on the man’s face disappeared with the mention of my name. It was as if a light switch had been flipped.

“Samuels, you say?” he muttered. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yes. Elizabeth Samuels,” I confirmed, confusedly. 

“Your mother’s name wouldn’t happen to be Ella, would it?” he gritted.

“It is, but how did you know, sir?” I asked, becoming a bit freaked out.

“And perhaps a brother named Grayson?”

“Yes,” I lilted. Now I really was freaked out. Not only did this man know my brother’s name, he knew my mum’s name, who was a muggle.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Yaxley?” Draco questioned, placing a protective arm around my waist. He was finding this odd, too.

“I’m her father,” he grinned evilly.


	23. Chapter 23

Draco’s POV:

My grip on Lizzie’s waist tightened tremendously at those three words that Yaxley spoke that night. I felt her muscles clench under my hand.

“T-that can’t be,” she whispered. “My dad was a muggle.”

“I’m afraid not. Where do you think your magic came from?” Yaxley smirked. I wasn’t feeling this conversation to begin with, but now I just wanted to hex the bloke into next year.

“My mum said he was a muggle,” Liz’s voice shook. “My f-father is a muggle.” 

“I hid my powers from her.”

“Y-you left us.” Now not only her voice shook, but her body began to tremble as well.

“What was I supposed to do? A pureblood runs off with a muggle and has two muggle kids. Not exactly the kind of story to tell around the dinner table,” the man deadpanned.

“My mum had to work three jobs just to keep us alive. She raised us on bread and crackers because you left her with nothing,” Lizzie seethed. 

Bread and crackers? Liz was raised on bread and crackers when I had a full meal three times a day? I suddenly felt very spoiled.

“It’s not my fault the old crow went and got pregnant,” he laughed. I noticed that Lizzie’s fists were in balls by her sides. If I knew anything about my best friend, this man was in danger of getting hurt.

“How. Dare. You,” she sneered with more ferocity than I had ever seen before in her. She took a step towards Yaxley and stared him straight in the eyes. “How dare you speak of my mother that way. You abandoned your own family. You left us with nothing more than a memory. Barely even that. I had to grow up without a father. How does that make you feel? I only had my mum to read me bedtime stories or teach me to ride a bike. Grayson had to grow up without his dad too. He didn’t have anyone to wrestle with or to play catch with. You broke our hearts and you have the audacity to call my mother an ‘old crow’ to my face?”

The people around us had frozen and began to watch the exchange. Tension sparked through the air like electricity, making my hair stand on end. Lizzie was angry. Very angry.

“There was no way I was going to stay with a muggle. Your mum was just something fun to pass time after my time at Hogwarts,” Yaxley retorted with a smirk. He was enjoying seeing Lizzie so angry. He wanted to see her burst. 

Lizzie’s bicep clenched and I knew what was coming before it happened. She drew back her fist, but before it could connect with Yaxley’s jaw, I caught it swiftly. The sound of our skin connecting resounded through the air around us.

“Alright, Liz. I think we’ve spent enough time down here. It’s time for bed,” I grunted, dropping her fist and wrapping my arm around her waist. I began to lead her away from Yaxley.

“Yeah that’s right, go run off with your ickle boyfriend. Merlin knows you’re just his something fun too,” he cackled behind us. Lizzie twisted around like the speed of light and lunged at Yaxley viciously. My arm remained wrapped around her waist and held her back.

“Lizzie, no,” I dictated firmly. 

“Let me go, Draco,” she growled, struggling to free herself from my grasp. She sure as hell was strong, but I was stronger. She pried at my fingers to try and break away from me, but I was holding on to her tight.

“No. We’re going to bed,” I stated as I walked away with her.

“Just one punch,” she argued, still writhing in my arms.

“No. You aren’t punching anyone,” I muttered. More people were staring.

“You heard what he said!” she snapped.

“I did, and I also know what is best for all of us, and that is you going upstairs.” I led her through the doors of the ballroom and up the stairs to our bedrooms.

“The goddamned nerve he had,” she mumbled as I opened her bedroom door.

“I know,” I replied. I snaked my arms around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. “Just ignore him, Liz.” She buried her head into my neck and remained silent for a few moments.

“That’s the thing, I can’t ignore him. He is my dad,” she choked. “This is going to haunt me forever.”

“We don’t know that for sure. He could have been lying just to get a reaction out of you.” I knew it was unlikely, but Liz needed consoling so that was what I was going to do.

“How did he know mum and Grayson’s name, then? My mum’s a muggle, it’s not like wizards know her,” she sighed. I could sense the anger from downstairs ebbing away, turning into despair.

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out,” I promised her. When I released her, I placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll leave you alone to shower and change.”

“No, don’t leave me, please,” she begged, grabbing my hand when I began to walk away.

“We both need to change,” I noted. There was no way I was going to spend anymore time in this suffocating suit than I had to, and I assumed Liz felt the same.

“Fine,” she said. “You go change and get your bum back over here as fast as you can.” She folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me. I couldn’t help but laugh at the image. 

“Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I turned from the girl and shut the door behind me once I exited the room. Leaning my back on the solid wood, I let out a huge breath. We avoided what could have been a huge fiasco down there.

My shoes clicked dully on the wooden floor as I crossed the hall to my bedroom. As I promised to Lizzie, I swiftly changed from my suit to a simple white shirt and pajama pants with little thunderbirds on them. I knew it would cheer her up, she loves Wizarding World animals.

As I approached Liz’s door, my footsteps were silent, so I could hear the noise from the party still going on down stairs. I tapped my knuckles on Lizzie’s door and waited for a reply.

“C’m in,” she grumbled from inside. She was perched on her bed in her pajamas that consisted of Slytherin green silk shorts and a grey t shirt. “Took you long enough.”

“I wanted to make sure you had time to change, too,” I defended myself, taking a seat on her bed.

“Fair enough,” she noted. The room was then lurched into a silence that allowed the chatter from the ball drift into the room. I sat looking at my feet and attempting to think of something to say.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her quietly. We both knew what the ‘it’ was that I was referring to. 

“Do I look like him?” she whispered almost inaudibly, staring at the floor.

“Let me see,” I replied. She picked her head up and turned to face me. I studied her for a moment with the image of Yaxley in my mind. “You have his eyes.” It was true. Lizzie’s eyes were the same shade of dark grey as Yaxley’s, but the rest of her face greatly resembled her mother. When I shared this with her, she visibly relaxed.

“I can’t believe it. I spent my entire childhood dreaming about what kind of man my father would be. I convinced myself that he was a king of some distant country and he had to leave us for our own safety because he was being hunted by an enemy country.” She chuckled and fell silent for a second, reaching for the chain around her neck. “Instead I get a disappointment.” 

“You don’t deserve this, Liz,” I told her honestly. “You don’t. I wish your life was easier than it was, but there’s nothing we can do except play the hand we are given.” I placed my right hand on her thigh. She looked at my hand and placed hers on top, sighing. I rubbed my thumb in circles on her leg.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, as if shaking thoughts from her mind. “How was your Christmas?” she asked with a smile.

“It was fine. Just your average Malfoy Christmas. Thank you for the pocket watch, by the way. I love it,” I smiled at her.

“You’re welcome. And thank you for the necklace,” she answered, indicating to the necklace wrapped around her neck.

“You are very welcome.” 

“What does it mean?” she asked, looking down at it. I glanced at it and smiled at how cliche and sappy I had been. It was a small, bronze compass attached to a gold chain.

“I’d be lost without you,” I chuckled. 

Her gaze flashed back up to my face and with all seriousness said, “I’d be lost without you too.”

It was as if I had been struck by lightning, for every hair on my body seemed to stand on end and my stomach churned feverishly. I suddenly became very aware of how close we were sitting. My thigh was resting against hers, our faces a mere feet apart. Her eyes bore into mine with a new type of perplexity that I admired. She had taken her hair out of the hair-do she had done for the ball and it now fell in loose curls that rested on her shoulders. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and wrap my hand in it.

Before I was aware of what I was doing, I leaned forward and placed my lips upon hers.


	24. Chapter 24

Lizzie’s POV: 

My eyes opened before Draco’s. The sunlight shining in through the window caused me to squint my eyes in attempt to shield them. I had pulled the curtains open the previous day to let some light into the room, and was beginning to regret it. It seemed as if the sun was shining directly into my soul.

Sitting up, I looked around the room at my surroundings. Draco lied beside me with the blanket lying limply around his waist. His right arm was curled up underneath his head as a makeshift pillow; his had fallen off the bed and now rested on the floor. I smiled at him, but wondered what he was doing in my bed.

I watched him sleep peacefully for a moment before I decided to wake him up. His hair was attractively tousled, resting in front of his eyes. The indent that was usually between his brows was nowhere to be found, for all lines of stress and toil were long gone from his face, making him look younger and more peaceful than ever. His chiseled jawline was shadowed from the light shining through the window. I dragged my finger lightly across his jaw and smiled as he shivered from my touch. 

Standing up on the bed, I jumped up and down several times, shaking him. He grumbled tiredly, immediately waking up, but pretended to be asleep.

“Draco, I’m awake. Give me attention,” I chimed happily. I don’t know why, but I was in a very good mood. My breathing rate increased with my jumping, leaving me panting for air.

“Stop it, Liz, I’m tryna sleep,” he slurred, rolling over and draping his arm over his ear.

“No, the sky’s awake, so I’m awake,” I sighed as I threw myself down on the bed beside him, dramatically. I giggled at the thought that Draco wouldn’t recognize the line from one of my favorite movies. I’ll add it to the list of movies I would have to show to him.

“Stoooooooop,” he groaned loudly. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at me with a faux anger. His eyebrows were knitted together and his nose was crinkled. 

“C’mon, Draco. Wake up!” I rolled over and threw my arms over him. Squeezing him tightly, I laughed.

“Fine! Merlin, I’m awake,” he wheezed. 

“Good,” I replied as I released him. He gave a great big yawn and stared at me. His face was extraordinarily relaxed.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked me with another yawn.

“Food! I almost forgot!” I cheered, jumping off of the bed and pulling on Draco’s hand. “Let’s go! I’m hungry.” He didn’t move an inch.

“Why get up when the house elves can bring it to us,” he reasoned.

“House elves!” I exclaimed in awe. Draco smiled at me.

“Winny,” he spoke clearly. I cocked my head at him in question when a loud crack echoed through the room, making me leap a mile.

“Bloody hell!” I screeched. Draco laughed at my surprise and looked to the small house elf that now stood by the foot of the bed. She was no higher than my waist and possessed a large pair of blue eyes.

“Winny,” Draco repeated, “breakfast please.” The elf nodded and disapparated without a word. Though I was expecting it, the second noise of her disapparation still made me jump. 

“Why do the Goddamned elves have to apparate inside the bloody house?” I grumbled.

“You’re such a pansy sometimes, Liz,” Draco grinned. 

“Pansy? I’ll show you pansy,” I smirked. Picking up the pillow beside Draco, I whacked him with it.

“Oi!” he shouted, his hair now standing on end. “I’ll get you for that.” He jumped up from his place on the bed and took the pillow from me. As he swung it at me, I ducked out of the way and leaped over the bed to get the other pillow. I grabbed it and looked to Draco. 

“Fight me,” taunted him. He shrugged and sprinted around the bed to get me. Once again, I went over top of the bed to escape. He nimbly followed me and swung the pillow at my legs. The shot landed with a dull slapping noise. I spun around and brought the pillow down on his head, further messing up his hair. I giggled and stepped off the bed on the opposite side of Draco. He brushed the white wisps out of his face and looked at me.

“Come here,” he demanded. 

“Make me,” I retorted without a second thought. Draco leapt over the bed and landed on the floor in front of me. 

“Okay,” he grinned. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me into the air over his shoulder. I screeched. I hated being picked up. As I struggled to be released, Winny apparated back into the room by the base of the bed.

“Master Malfoy,” she squeaked, causing Draco to spin around in order to see who spoke. 

Winny had a silver tray in her hands with two platters of food on it.

“On the desk, please, Winny,” he directed the house elf to the desk beside the window. “Thank you.” Winny bowed and disapparated. 

“Put me down, Draco!” I commanded, flailing my arms and legs. Draco obliged and set me on the floor in front of him. 

“Breakfast’s ready,” he told me.

“I noticed,” I replied as I skipped to the desk and sat on the top. The cool surface of the wood leached through my pajamas and made goosebumps rise on my skin.

It appeared that Winny had brought a bowl of all my favorite fruits, so I picked it up and began to eat them. 

“You might want to come eat some before I eat it all,” I said with a piece of pineapple in my mouth. Draco laughed and sat in the chair in front of the desk. He opted for one of the slices of bacon.

“So how’d you sleep?” Draco buzzed after a few minutes of us eating in silence. 

“Not too bad,” I pointed out. “Though I did have an odd dream.” 

“Care to share?” he said before taking a drink of the juice Winny had brought up with the breakfast.

“I don’t know,” I postulated. It had been quite the dream, but I didn’t know if I wanted to share it with Draco.

“Oh come on, it’s not like I’m going to laugh at you,” he urged with one eyebrow raised. 

“Well okay, if you insist. First, I dreamed that last night at the ball, a man came up to us and went all Darth Vader on me, saying he was my dad,” I smiled shyly, popping a grape into my mouth.

“I don’t know what Dark Vader is but that wasn’t a dream, Liz,” Draco murmured.

“It wasn’t?” I whispered, all form of jokery gone from my voice. 

“I’m afraid not,” he remarked quietly.

“Oh.” So my father had shown up last night. Which meant that he was most likely acquaintances with Lucius. I didn’t doubt it. Yaxley had looked like a shady character. I just couldn’t believe he was my father. He and my mum. They didn’t seem like a likely pair.

“Was there more?” Draco queried. “To your dream. Was there more?”

“Oh,” I croaked, “uh, yeah.”

“What was it?” He picked up another slice of bacon and took a bite. I watched him chew for a minute trying to decide if I should tell him this part.

“We kissed,” I mumbled under my breath and with a mouthful of fruit.

“Sorry I didn’t catch that,” he riposted.

“We kissed,” I spoke a bit louder once I had chewed and swallowed. 

“Really?” he choked. “What was it like?”

“I suppose it was nice.” I looked down at my fingers and began to fidget with my nails.

“You think so?” he inquired.

“I guess.” It had been more than nice. It had been breathtaking. Just thinking about it made my stomach explode with butterflies. 

“Well then, I guess I should tell you that that wasn’t a dream either,” he smirked as he leaned back in his chair.

“What?” I exclaimed, snapping my head up at him. The corner of his mouth was turned up in amusement.

“Yep, last night after the ball,” he said with a smug look. He looked proud of himself. Suddenly, my mind went to waking up next to Draco.

“We didn’t... you know... did we?” I asked, aghasted. 

“Merlin no,” he guffawed. I relaxed. 

So, Draco and I had kissed. My dream wasn’t a dream. The last three months had been a whirlwind.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Draco asked, using an old American muggle saying that I didn’t know he knew. Instead of replying, I ducked my head and locked our lips together. My left hand cradled the base of his neck while my right twisted in his hair. It was as soft as the silk of my bedsheets. 

Our lips moved together slowly and carefully, like both of us were afraid we would offend the other. 

His hands came up to hold the sides of my face. They were cool and soft on my warm skin. I slid off the desk and sat on his lap, straddling his legs.

His tongue whispered along my bottom lip. I gladly allowed him entrance and he explored my mouth gracefully.

I pulled back for air, panting breathlessly. “Was that worth your penny?”

“Bloody hell yes,” he grinned.

“Good,” I smirked, dragging my fingers along his jawline once again. He shivered from my touch. His eyes met mine and I stared back at him with the same intensity. He smiled at me and leaned his forehead against mine, still panting slightly from our kiss and our noses touched gently. I could feel my stomach fluttering inside of my abdomen.

“I love you,” he blurted all of a sudden, making me jump from the abruptness. He saw me jump and his facial expression changed from one of love to one of horror. “Merlin’s beard, Liz. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry, please -”

“I love you too,” I grinned at him, laughing at his rambling.

“Y-you do?” he stuttered.

“I do, I really do,” I replied, suddenly realizing that this was a something I should have told him ages ago. I have loved him for as long as I can remember, thinking back. His cocky smirk, his perfect hair, his care for me. 

He stood up in a flash and held me up in his arms, spinning around like they do in all of those cheesy romance movies. Giggling like a little girl and not at all minding that I was being picked up, I smiled down at him. Once he placed me down on the ground, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tight.

“I love you, Lizzie Samuels,” he breathed into my ear. I could practically hear the dorky very un-Malfoy-like grin on his face.

“And I love you too, Draco Cordelia Malfoy.”


	25. Chapter 25

Draco’s POV:

The first day back at Hogwarts started off like any other first day back, but ended differently than I had anticipated. Liz and I had gone through our classes as we usually did since she woke up, however, there was something different between us. It was barely noticeable, but we would catch each other watching the other and then pretend not to notice. A few times we would link hands in the halls when they were extra crowded to avoid losing each other, but there was something different. It seemed more intimate. Before it had been simply platonic when we held hands. Of course, neither of us said anything about the change, though I’m sure we both had noticed it. 

“Hey, Draco, you’re helping me with my Potions essay, right?” Liz asked me the first day back at dinner. She had drawn her hair up into a ponytail about halfway through the day and that’s how it was at that moment. A few strands had fallen out behind her head and rested on her back.

“Of course, you couldn’t pass it without me,” I smirked at her over my plate.

“Nice of you to think in my best interest,” she snorted.

“You’re welcome,” I replied. 

“I didn’t thank you.” She leaned forward on the table and crossed her arms, squinting her eyes playfully.

“I decided to do it for you.” She heaved a great sigh and rolled her eyes at my answer. 

“I didn’t realize you were an expert on my life and how I should live it! Continue while I take notes,” she poked at me. I rolled my eyes so far they hurt. “If you’re finished, I’d like to go get it over with.” Seeing as I was, in fact, finished with my dinner, we decided to go start on our essays. We walked quietly to the library and chose a table towards the back, away from the group of first year Gryffindor’s playing a game of Exploding Snap. It was a wonder that Madam Pince hadn’t kicked them out yet.

I reached into my bag and pulled out two pieces of parchment, one for me and one for Lizzie. Unstoppering the pot of ink we were sharing, I handed her the extra parchment.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “So the properties of moonstone and it’s uses in potion-making.” Her smile disappeared as she looked down at her parchment. 

“Do you know the answer to that?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Nope,” she laughed, “that’s what you’re here for.” 

“Merlin, this might take a while,” I sighed. “Do you at least know what moonstone looks like?”

“A bit. Does it look like the moon? I only know what it looks like when it’s crushed.”

“Well, I guess it kind of looks like the moon. It’s closer to a pearl in my opinion. You know, milky in color, a bit iridescent. It shines like the moon too. Substantially shiny, almost like it is it’s own source of light.” I stood up, walked around the corner of a bookshelf and pulled down a book of gemstones. Flipping through the pages, I wandered back to Liz, who was still sitting frowning at her parchment. 

When I found a photo of a moonstone, I pointed to it. “There. That’s a moonstone.”

“Oh, yeah I guess it does look like a pearl.”

“Now write about it,” I commanded while picking up my own quill and dipping it in the ink. I began to write about the gem. 

Lizzie and I spent an hour and a half writing the essay Snape had assigned. By the end of the time, Liz had a decent understanding of how moonstone affected potions and could give several examples of what potions use the stone.

I quickly read through what she had written.

“Not too bad,” I nodded. “You’ll at least pass.”

“Since you know everything, I guess you know that you’re an ass,” she replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

We began to place our work into our bags when Lizzie looked up. Potter stood nearby looking at us nervously. He was messing with his hands and was finding it difficult to look at us. His atrocious hair was sticking out at every angle as it usually did.

“Hi, Harry!” Lizzie called enthusiastically. Potter took a deep breath and walked to us.

“Hey, Lizzie. Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked her, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of me,” I said shortly.

“It’s alright, Draco. I’ll be right back,” she smiled at me, placing a hand on my bicep. I nodded and watched them walk a few meters away, where Potter began to talk. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I could catch the gist of it from Liz’s reactions. 

As I placed my potions book carefully in my bag, so as to not fold the essay I had just written, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made my blood boil. Potter leaned forward and placed a kiss firmly on Lizzie’s lips, his hands cradled her head under her auburn ponytail. I felt my stomach drop into my shoes and my throat tighten. Forgetting about my bag and clenching my teeth, I stormed over to where they stood and threw my fist into Potter’s jaw. The noise of the contact of my fist on his face made Lizzie screech.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I seethed, glaring at Potter who cradled his jaw with one hand.

“Draco!” Lizzie yelped, trying to walk around me to get to Potter. I held my arm out to keep her behind me.

“I asked you a question, Potter,” I snarled. 

“I think I was talking to Lizzie, Malfoy,” he growled at me, dropping his hand from the spot where I had punched him, revealing an angry, red bruise forming.

“That looked like a bit more than talking,” I took a step towards him, trying to be menacing. Behind me Lizzie was trying to speak to me, but I was too angry with Potter to listen to her.

“This is none of your business.” I was already angry, but this pushed me over the edge; of course this was my business. I jumped at the boy and grabbed his collar, pinning him to the bookshelf behind him.

“Don’t you dare try anything like that with her again, got it?” I spit. 

“Draco, stop it!” Lizzie shrieked at my sudden outburst.

“Get off me, Malfoy,” Potter snapped. When I didn’t let him go, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. “Flipendo.” A rough blow to my chest launched me backwards and knocked the breath from my lungs. 

“Oh that’s it, Potter,” I hissed. I pulled my wand from my robes and pointed it to his chest. “Stupefy!” 

“Protego!” he shouted at the same time, producing a blue shield that blocked my spell, sending it into a shelf of books. “Expelliarmus!” A scarlet light shot from Potter’s wand and towards my chest. I hit the ground and rolled out of the way, leaping to my feet to send my own spell at him.

“Impedimenta!” Potter’s advances were suddenly slowed to the speed of molasses. 

“You’ll pay for this, Malfoy,” he sneered at me.

“Petrificus Totalus.” Potter’s arms and legs snapped together and he fell to the ground, stiff as a board. “Stay away from Lizzie.”

Madam Pince was upon us like a vulture then. She had appeared out of nowhere and swooped down on us, shaking her fist at us threateningly. She must have heard the duel.

“I’ll have none of that in here, boys!” she screeched. She released Potter from the spell with a flick of her wand and he was on his feet in an instant, glaring at me. “Out! Out! All of you!” She herded us to the door with lots of tutting.

“I’m warning you, Potter,” I threatened the boy once more before stomping away, unaware of where I was heading, but not really caring. I wanted to throw things and scream and yell and hit something or someone. 

“Draco!” Liz called from behind me. My legs were significantly longer than hers so she struggled to keep up with me. “Draco, slow down!” I didn’t listen and just continued to rush away.

Before I knew it, I could feel the bitter January air freezing my skin. I had stormed all the way to the astronomy tower.

“Come on, Draco! You know I can’t keep up with you!” Lizzie shouted from the staircase. She was considerably far behind me. I was at the railing and had caught my breath before she had even reached the top of the stairs. 

When she did reach the end of the staircase, the only noise was the rushing of the blistering wind around us. The cold wasn’t bothering me, in fact, I thought it felt good. It was cooling down my boiling anger.

Liz tip-toed up next to me by the railing with her arms folded in front of her chest. I could see her breath fogging in the air in my peripheral vision.

“Hey,” she whispered, “what was that about?” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as if it would help keep her warm. Though we had only been up here a few minutes at the most, her nose was already rosy from the frigid air. 

“What did he say to you?” I asked her.

“I asked you first,” she countered. I closed my eyes and dropped my head between my arms that were resting on the railing. I counted to ten in my head before I answered her.

“Do you remember what happened the night of the ball in your room?” I breathed into the air, releasing a cloud of fog.

“Of course I do,” she answered quietly, her head tilted slightly to the right. The wind was causing her hair to swirl around her face, making her reach up and straighten it every few moments.

“Did you feel anything?” I asked as quiet as her, while taking a step towards her. “Because I sure as hell did.” She paused and looked at me more seriously than ever.

“I felt it too,” she finally replied. She brought her hand up to her nose and rubbed it, making it more red.

“You’re mine, Lizzie, and I won’t let Potter take you away right after I’ve gotten you.” I turned back to the railing and rested my elbows on the cold metal. Looking around at the school grounds that were covered in snow, I placed my chin on my fist.

“Harry won’t take me from you,” she whispered, leaning her head on my shoulder. We stood there enjoying the view and shivering.

“Now you have to answer my question,” I told her after a few moments of silence.

“He didn’t say much,” she looked down at her feet almost guiltily.

“Then it shouldn’t be much to tell me,” I urged her gently.

“First, he asked me about my break, how it went, etcetera. Then he uh- well he told me that he wanted to get to know me better.” I looked at her, feeling my anger rise back up. She must have sensed this because she spoke quickly. “I said no of course, but before I could go, he kissed me.” 

 

“I can’t believe him,” I gritted. 

“Nothing meaningful happened,” Liz assured me.

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean the kiss didn’t mean anything to me. He initiated it,” she stated firmly. I remained silent but looked up to the sky, finding the Draco constellation immediately. “It was nothing like this,” she whispered. I felt her hand on my chin, guiding my head to her. Our lips connected cautiously and moved together in sync. My hands went to her hips and hers snaked around my neck. I could feel her shivering and I’m sure she could feel me as well. Her lips were cold and chapped, but I didn’t mind. My stomach swirled with emotion. Whatever this girl was doing to me, I loved it.

“I don’t want Harry. I want you, Draco,” she said, leaning her forehead against mine and looking directly into my eyes. 

“Remember this, Liz. You are mine,” I told her.

“I will,” she smiled. “Now can we go back in? It’s a bit chilly out here.”

“Of course,” I chuckled. Linking our hands together, we walked all the way back to the Slytherin common room, where we curled up together with a blanket in front of the fire to warm up.


	26. Chapter 26

Lizzie’s POV:

“Pansy fucking Parkinson,” I sneered at the girl in the common room. It was only her and me here at the moment, seeing as everyone else was in bed. I had had troubles sleeping so I had come down to the common room to sit by the fire for a bit and met her there by the sofa.

“What are you doing here, mudblood?” she hissed, standing up from her spot and spinning to face me. I was standing at the end of the girls dormitory hallway and she was across the common room, but with the eerie silence, our voices carried easily.

“My common room too,” I spoke, taking a few steps towards her. My feet were silent in their approach.

“You don’t belong here. You belong in Hufflepuff just like your spineless brother. Why don’t you run along and make some beaded bracelets with them?” she taunted. Ignoring her mention of my brother, I continued walking towards her and spoke once more.

“I know what you did,” I growled at her.

“What do you mean?” Her eyes narrowed at me as she watched me slowly approach her.

“You know exactly what I mean,” I snarled. “You told the house elves to put the Bloodroot in my sherry tart. You poisoned me. You tried to kill me!” By this point, I was nearly in front of her, rounding the corner of the sofa and coming face to face with the girl.

“And I wish it had worked, you dirty little mudblood. You’re no better than the gum under the desks or the mud on your shoes.” I clenched my fist and punched Pansy Parkinson so hard she fell backwards onto the ground. The noise was loud in the quiet surrounding us.

“You have no idea how long I have been waiting to do that, you bitch,” I spit at her. 

“You shouldn’t have done that.” She brought her hand up to her face and brushed her nose, bringing it back covered in blood.

“Oh, what are you going to do? Hit me?” I jeered. I watched Pansy stand and wipe the blood from her nose once more before she punched me too. Honestly, I should have saw it coming, but her fist made contact with my nose, nonetheless, causing warm, crimson blood to spill from my nose and my eyes to water ferociously. I took a step back and rubbed the blood from my nose before making another nove. My next punch landed solidly in her gut, making her double over, coughing heavily. I lunged my knee into her face harshly with a grunt from me and a cry from her.

She straightened up quickly and attempted to send a punch into my face again, but I knew it was coming this time, so I easily sidestepped it and threw a fist at her exposed side, hearing a crack from her ribs. She gripped her now obviously broken ribs and took a few steps back from me. Already, her right eye was swelling in addition to her bloody nose.

“Come on, Pansy, I was always tougher than you, and smarter, but I won’t mention that,” I snarled. She reached into the pocket of her emerald robe and pulled out her wand. “Going for the magic kind of fight now?” I drew my own wand and pointed it at her abdomen.

“Stubefy!” she shrieked at me, her broken nose impairing her speech. I slashed my wand up and blocked her spell quite easily, if I admit.

“Obscuro!” I shouted causing a black stretch of material to fire from my wand and wind its way around her eyes, blocking her sight. She immediately began to claw at the blindfold desperately while I darted forward and landed a punch on her right cheek. 

With a yelp, she finally succeeded in removing the material and shot another spell at me. My wand shot from my grasp and flew several feet to my right, landing in front of one of the enormous windows. I shot towards the small piece of wood as she launched herself over the sofa. I stuck my leg out and tripped her; she fell face first onto the hardwood floor, causing me to cringe. My feet slapped the remained of the way towards my wand and I picked it up, spinning around and casting a spell Harry taught us at the D.A. 

“Levicorpus!” Pansy was hoisted into the air by her left ankle and dangled there, thrashing around violently.

“Lizzie?” A voice called from behind me. I turned around and flinched from what I saw. The fight between Pansy and me had obviously woken several people up, as they were crowded around the dormitory hallways. Draco shoved his way through the crowd and walked up to me, seeing Pansy floating behind my back. “What is going on?”

“Payback, bitch,” I spit at the girl.

“Put her down, Liz,” Draco commanded sternly. Despite my urge to leave her hanging there until her face was redder than a tomato, I muttered the countercurse and she came crashing to the ground with a thud. She shot to her feet and straightened her clothes and hair as best as she could, which wasn’t too well. Taking a look at her in the light coming from the sconce beside us, she looked terrible. Her right eye was swollen completely shut and was turning purple, along with a large spot on her cheek and the skin around her nose, which was bleeding more profusely than ever and was sticking out at an odd angle. Compared to her, I looked like a princess. “What happened?”

“I was giving her a piece of my mind for poisoning me,” I spoke this just a bit too loud so everyone in the room would be enlightened on why I disappeared for a month and who was responsible.

“That doesn’t mean you turn her into a punching bag!” He gestured wildly at Pansy’s face.

“She almost killed me, Draco!” I argued with him, wiping at my face because the blood from my nose was beginning to drip from my nose.

“I know, but look at what you did!” he shot back.

“I - could- have- died!” I said in a dangerously calm voice that told Draco not to argue with me any further.

“Damnit, Elizabeth,” he replied angrily, grabbing my hand roughly and dragging me through the crowd and down the boys dormitory hallway. He slammed the door to his room shut behind us, causing me to jump. “Are you okay?” he asked me as he touched a finger to the bridge of my nose.

“I’m fine,” I snapped at him, pulling my head back from his touch.

“I’m sorry about everything out there, Liz,” he sighed after he sat down on his four-poster.

“Well I’m not,” I muttered, still angry about Pansy. 

“Let me look at your nose,” he said.

“I said I’m fine!” I retorted, crossing my arms in front of my chest. 

“Obviously you’re not,” he spoke softly, making me feel bad for snapping at him. “Your nose is bleeding a lot, Liz. I just want to make sure it’s okay.” I huffed and sat facing him on his bed cross-legged. “Thank you, love.”

He placed his left hand on the side of my face, holding it gently in place while his right stroked my nose softly, being sure not to hurt me. I closed my eyes and let his cool touch help abate my anger. My shoulders relaxed and I found myself leaning into his touch.

“The good news is that it’s not broken, but the bad news is that I don’t know any spells to stop bleeding, so you’ll just have to wait until it stops. I’m taking you to see Madam Pomfrey in the morning,” he stated, standing and retrieving an old shirt from his dresser. He carefully held it to my nose to staunch the bleeding.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” I murmured. 

“It’s alright. I know you were angry; I was too,” he replied quietly. I lifted my eyes to look at him.

“You were? You didn’t show it.”

“I have become extraordinarily good at hiding my emotions over my lifetime,” he chuckled.

“Can you make me a promise?” I asked him after a few seconds of silence. I grasped his spare hand in mine and locked my eyes on his.

“Of course.”

“Promise me that you will never hide your emotions from me. Promise me you will always tell me how you feel,” I spoke lowly and almost desperately.

“I’ll try my best,” he smiled.

“No. I don’t want you to try, I want you to do it. I know hard it can be to cover emotions and let them pile up for ages until they burst from your body and I don’t want that to happen to you. Promise me,” I reiterated.

“I promise.”


	27. Chapter 27

Lizzie’s POV:

“What are the ingredients in the Draught of Peace?” I asked Draco a few nights after my fight with Pansy. I was sitting in between his legs on the sofa in the common room, working on my most recent potions homework. He was absentmindedly playing with my hair, twisting it together and then brushing it out with his fingers. 

The fire was roaring to my left. Some cold seventh year had cast an Engorgio spell to help ward against the cold leaching through the walls of the dungeon. I could feel the heat radiating onto my legs and spreading through my body.

“Powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered unicorn horn, and powdered porcupine quills,” he replied. Draco was a potions genius. I wouldn’t doubt it if he became a Hogwarts Potions master.

“Thanks.” 

He dragged his fingers through my hair once more, brushing against my neck and making me shiver despite the warmth of the fire.

“Of course,” he hummed.

The common room around us was alive with chatter. Dinner had finished about an hour ago and people were still filtering back from wherever they had been. There was a group of third years behind the sofa playing a game of makeshift poker, occasionally shouting with joy or booing in distress. The tables surrounding us were filled with other students working on their own homework. 

I wrote about the Draught of Peace to my best extent. 

The Draught of Peace potion reduces anxiety or agitation, as the name suggests. It is made by combining powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered unicorn horn, and powdered porcupine quills.

The morning after I had dueled Pansy, Draco had dragged me to Madam Pomfrey. She asked no questions but made sure I was fine before she sent me off. When Professor Snape approached me later that day about the state of Pansy’s face, I told him it was ‘long overdue self-defense’. He had almost smiled at this, which had made me grin back at him.

When I figured I had done a decent enough job on my essay, I blew on my parchment to dry the last of my ink before carefully rolling it up and placing it in my bag beside my Transfigurations and Defence Against the Dark Arts essays. 

“Are you done, now?” Draco asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my left shoulder.

“Yep,” I smiled, twisting around to face him and clasping my hands behind his neck. 

“Good,” he grinned. “Come here.” He held his arms out and leaned backwards on the sofa. I happily obliged and curled up next to him. His back was against the back sofa and his chest facing me. My back was to the fire. He wrapped his arms protectively around me and pulled me close to him so our chests were touching. 

I burrowed my head into his neck and breathed in his scent. It was a scent that I had come to enjoy over the years but had never gotten to experience it like this. He smelled of peppermint. Like the candy canes that hung on our Christmas tree at home. It reminded me of childhood holiday memories with my mum and Gray.

“Are you sniffing me?” Draco asked, a tone of amusement in his voice.

“You smell good,” I mumble. My words had come out pretty muffled due to my face being buried in Draco.

“Oh I do, do I?” he mused with a chuckle. The deep rumble jostled my head. 

“Mmm yeah,” I sighed. “Like peppermint.”

“Huh, peppermint,” he repeated. 

“Yeah like candy canes.” I cuddled closer to him.

“Christmas is over, Liz,” he laughed.

“Christmas is never over,” I murmured. Draco laughed again and kissed my head.

“You are the best thing to happen to me,” Draco whispered into my ear.

I brought my head out from his neck and looked at him. “You mean it?”

“With all my heart,” he smiled shyly at me. “Lizzie, I know we just got together and all, but I am in love with you. I think I’ve been falling for you since the day we first met on the train.” He placed a hand on my head and pet my hair.

“Really?” I whispered, a smile growing on my face. 

“Yes. I don’t know what it is about you. Maybe it’s your hair (he wrapped his fingers in my hair), maybe it's your laugh, maybe your smile (he ran his thumb over my lips), or maybe it was those grey eyes. But whatever it is, it made me fall so damn hard.”

“Is that a good thing?” I asked with a worried face. I knew how his family felt about blood status. I wondered how they would feel if they knew their son was in love with a half-blood.

“It’s the best, Liz. I wouldn’t trade you for the world.” He bent his head down and leaned his forehead against mine.

“You’re the best,” I told him. He smiled the widest I’ve seen him smile and tenderly connected our lips. His lips folded between mine perfectly and moved with the rhythm of mine. We were two dancers moving gracefully together as one while not moving at all.

He sat up and pulled me with him, not breaking the kiss. I sat straddling his legs with my hands on either side of his head. His hands sat on my hips, firmly holding me in place. 

The common room around me disappeared and all that mattered was Draco. Draco and the feeling of his silky hair in between my fingers. Draco and the smell of peppermint filling my nose. Draco and the way his lips fit with mine. Draco and the bulge that was slowly growing against my thigh.

“Someone’s excited,” I chuckled breaking the kiss only for a moment to catch my breath, then bringing them back together.

“I can’t help it (some more kissing). You’re just (kiss) so (kiss) alluring,” he panted between kisses. I smiled into his mouth.

“Alluring?” I panted.

“Alluring,” he confirmed. He brought one hand up to my chin and tilted my head. I felt his lips connect with my skin along my jawline and my neck. I leaned my head back to allow him more access. His lips found a spot on my neck around my collar bone that made me moan and bite my lip hard. “Found it,” he smirked, continuing to suck on the spot.

My hands gripped his hair and tugged slightly. He brought his head back up and pressed his lips onto mine. This kiss was sloppier than the last, more desperate and needy. 

“Get a room,” someone shouted from the group of third years. I pulled away from the kiss and giggled.

“I think we’ve got an audience.” I looked at Draco’s light eyes which were still glinting with need.

“They can bugger off,” he replied.

I was about to answer him when a small second year girl came up to me. Her short, blonde hair was tied back with wisps falling in her face. “Excuse me,” she squeaked in a heavy Irish accent. “Are you Lizzie Samuels?”

“I am, what’s your name?” I asked her politely, climbing off of Draco’s lap and sitting beside him.

“Rebecca Murphy, Hermione Granger asked me to give this to you,” she spoke as she held out a folded piece of parchment with my name written neatly on the front in Hermione’s handwriting. I gently took it from the girl’s hand.

“Thank you,” I smiled while unfolding the parchment. Rebecca walked away to a corner where other second year girls sat quietly.

Room of Requirement ASAP

That was all the letter read.

“What’s it say?” Draco asked beside me. I handed the parchment to him and shrugged, standing up.

“I better get going. It must be urgent,” I shared.

“I’ll come with you,” he offered, standing.

“No, that’s alright.” 

“If Granger’s there, that means that Potter is there, and I don’t want him to make any more moves on you,” he denoted. I crossed my arms and leaned my weight on one leg, popping my knee out.

“I can handle myself and you know that,” I answered.

“Yes, I know that. I just-” he began, but I cut him off.

“I’m going alone. I don’t want you to get in a fight with Harry.”

“Okay,” he gave in, “just promise me you won’t let Potter do anything, and if he tries, you’ll tell me.” He took a step towards me and hugged me to his chest. My head just barely reached his shoulder, so I had to stand on my toes to rest my chin on him.

“I promise. Now I have to go, Hermione said ASAP,” I told him, letting go. “I’ll be back soon.” I turned and walked out of the common room. Curfew was very soon so I listened carefully for footsteps on my trek to the Room of Requirement, and wondered just what the hell Hermione wanted me for at this time.

Once I had reached the seventh floor corridor where the room was located, I began to pace.

I need to meet Hermione.  
I need to meet Hermione.  
I need to meet Hermione.

The iron began to twist its way onto the wall, gently creaking in the process. I placed my hand on the doorknob and pushed the heavy door open. The room inside was the same one we had been meeting in for the D.A. just slightly dimmer. Hermione, Ron, Harry, Luna, Ginny, and Neville all sat on cushions in the center.

“Did I miss the party?” I asked lightly, taking a seat on a velvet, blue cushion beside Ginny. I had never spoken to the girl before, only seen her in D.A. meetings. 

“Nope, we were waiting for you to start,” Ginny spoke. Her legs were folded in front of her and she was resting her elbows on her knees.

“Start what, exactly?” I asked.

“Well, as you might have noticed, Umbridge recently passed Educational Decree number 26 which limits the teachers to only being able to give information on their topic,” Hermione began.

“I did.” Umbridge had passed the decree a few days ago, right after the beginning of term.

“You might have also heard that she passed it because teachers were giving information unrelated to their topics. The main thing they happened to be talking about was the breakout from Azkaban,” she finished, addressing the whole group now. All of the others nodded gravely, but I was confused.

“Wait! Someone broke out of Azkaban?” I asked in utter shock. Only one man had ever broken out of Azkaban Prison and that was Sirius Black. He was about as mad as they come. Killed a dozen people in one go and tried to go after Harry. 

“Honestly, Lizzie, do you live under a rock?” Ron asked. All the heads in the room were directed at me. I blushed angrily.

“No, I just live in the house that everyone hates and happen to be hated within that house so I don’t have many friends to tell me this sort of stuff,” I rounded on him.

Before Ron and I got into a row, Hermione piped in. “Not just one person broke out. It was a mass breakout. All of them Death Eaters,” she winced.

“Death Eaters?!” I asked even more in shock. Sirius Black was just one guy and his breakout was irregular, but a mass breakout of Death Eaters at Azkaban?! 

“Since you guys are the most invested into the D.A., we figured we should tell you something else. It might come in handy should the time arise,” Hermione continued. 

Should the time arise? What was she thinking? Did she think the Death Eaters were going to waltz right into Hogwarts?

“For a long time now, since Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby to be exact,” I winced at the mention of You-Know-Who’s name, “Harry has had a certain connection to Voldemort that occasionally allows him to feel Voldemort’s emotions when they get particularly strong and can sometimes even see flashes of what Voldemort is seeing himself. The day that the Death Eaters escaped, Harry felt a very strong sure of happiness from Voldemort’s end.” Hermione paused and allowed the information to sink in.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner, Harry?” Luna asked airily. 

“This is huge! Does Dumbledore know? We could use this against You-Know-Who!” Ginny threw in hastily, straightening her back.

“Does You-Know-Who know?” Neville asked quietly.

“It’s not exactly something you go around with written on your forehead, now is it?” Harry spoke rudely.

“You still should have told us sooner,” Ginny marked angrily, leaning forward more.

“Well, I’m telling you know, aren’t I?” he countered.

“You-” Ginny began.

“Whoa whoa girls calm down. We’re all beautiful here,” I interrupted their mini-row. Ginny turned and glared at me, but backed off of Harry. Harry didn’t reply as well.

“Dumbledore knows,” Ron broke the growing silence.

“But we don’t know if Voldemort knows,” Hermione added on. “We- Dumbledore and I- have advised and reminded Harry many times to remember that if Voldemort does find out, he could use it against Harry.” Harry, who had been looking at the ground, looked up at Hermione and glared. “He’s also been having dreams. Well, a dream. Just one, over and over. About a door in a hallway. We think it might be related to this all somehow. We’re just not sure how.” Harry’s glare intensified.

“I can talk for myself, thanks,” he sassed back.

“Calm down, Harry, she’s just trying to help,” Ginny said.

“I don’t need help,” he snapped, standing up and walking to the door. “It’s almost curfew. You guys should get back to your common rooms.” He disappeared out the door without another word.

“Well, if you guys notice anything odd, please keep us informed,” Hermione muttered, following Harry out the door.

“This was fun,” I mused, standing up along with everyone else in the room. Together we made our way out of the Room of Requirement and split to go our respective ways. 

My shoes clicked their way across the castle, echoing off the walls. I willed them to hush up seeing as Harry was correct in saying that it was almost curfew.


	28. Chapter 28

Draco’s POV:

“Come here,” I told Lizzie a few weeks after her meeting with Granger. “I want to show you something.” Grabbing her hand, I led her to our sofa in front of the fire and sat her down. As I sat down beside her, I pulled a small stack of parchment from my robes where I had been hiding it, waiting for when I had built the courage to show Liz. 

“Oooo what is it?” she asked, reaching for the parchment. I pulled them back before she grasped them.

“Patience,” I chuckled. “I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I like to draw. It’s not something I go around sharing a lot because once people know I can draw, they want to see some of my works, and I hate showing my drawings.” I looked down at the parchment and second guessed my choice to show Liz. Sure I loved her, but I without a question despised sharing my drawings. It’s like sharing a piece of my soul with someone. It’s personal.

“Is that why your fingers are always smudged black?” she asked, gesturing to my hands which were, in fact, smudged with black residue from the charcoal I used to draw. 

“Yeah,” I replied, wiping my hands on the legs of my robes only smudging the charcoal. 

“Oh, I just figured your soul was seeping through your skin,” she grinned cheekily, reaching out and picking the stack of parchment up from my lap.

“Maybe it’s your soul rubbing off on me,” I joked tensely. Seeing someone looking at my drawings, even Liz, made me feel very self-conscious.

The top drawing was of the bookshelves in the library at my home. It was one of my first drawings, so it wasn’t all that good, but it was still one of my favorites. I had somehow managed to capture the rays of sunlight striped across the dusty, old spines of the books loading the shelves. 

“Merlin’s beard, Draco,” Lizzie looked up at me in awe. “You’re really good!” She lifted the top piece of parchment and placed it on the bottom, revealing the next drawing.

This next one was a more recent one. It was a drawing of Professor McGonagall teaching us to transfigure a hedgehog to a pincushion in fourth year. She had her wand drawn and pointing at a hedgehog that was curled up in front of her on a table. Her face was taut and stern. It was a drawing I had done in the middle of class when Crabbe had been sick.

Lizzie flipped the page once more. Her own face stared up at her from the parchment. It was a drawing I had done of her lying in the hospital wing in the poison induced coma. Her face had been the most relaxed it had ever been and I couldn’t help but try and capture it. The charcoal had been the perfect medium to draw her that day. It brought out the shadows that had been created on her face by the patched sunlight shining through the tall hospital wing windows, the crinkles in the blanket that wrapped around her body, and especially her dark hair that surrounded her head in a halo like array.

She looked up at me in confusion. “You drew me?”

“Keep going,” I urged her with a nod. She switched the page once more. 

The drawing that had come to the top was one of my absolute favorites. It was once again of Lizzie, and I had captured her face on the parchment. Her head was thrown back, laughing. The lines of her smile were prominent and the shine of her aura had been caught as well. Her face seemed to shine with her own light. She was radiant when she laughed like that, which, thankfully, was often. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her eyelashes sticking out like spider legs.

“Why didn’t you show me these before?” she whispered. “They’re beautiful, Draco. You are so talented.” She turned to the last piece of parchment in the pile and drew in a sharp breath of air.

I had drawn the two of us standing on the astronomy tower, leaning our elbows on the railing and staring up at the night sky which seemed alive with twinkling stars. Liz’s hair was blown back from her face by the light that had rustled our hair the first night I had shown her the area. The light from the moon and stars lit our faces up slightly, revealing our expressions. Mine was somber and tight, as if I was thinking about something that stressed me out, which I had been. I had been thinking about Liz and how beautiful she had looked in the starlight. Her expression was one of wonder and beauty. She was taken over by the breathtaking brilliance of the night sky.

“Draco,” she hummed quietly, lifting her face to look at me, “I love these.” 

“Really?” I asked, returning the glance.

“Really,” she confirmed. “I never knew you were so talented.”

“You think so?” I turned my head to the fire and stared into it.

“I know so,” she grinned in my peripheral vision. We fell into a silent spell as she went through the pictures once more, with the same awe on her face as the first time. “Can you draw me now?” 

“What?” I asked, taken my surprise at her request.

“Can you draw me here, now?” She looked up at me. “One that I can keep.”

“Y-yeah, sure,” I stumbled. No one had ever asked me to draw them before, so I hadn’t been expecting it, but Lizzie was one of my favorite subjects and I couldn’t turn down drawing her once more. “I’ll be back in a second.” 

I stood and made my way through the common room to my dormitory where I hid my drawing supplies. Crouching down and reaching under my bed, I pulled a black case out. I returned to the common room by Liz.

“Sit on that chair,” I instructed her, pointing to the chair opposite from the one I chose. She sat down and looked at me expectantly. “Just sit like you normally would.” She nodded and brought her legs up and crossed her thighs in front of her, angling herself a bit to her right. 

“What should I do with my hands?” she questioned. 

“Put your left elbow on the armrest, yeah, like that. Then your hand, put it on your chest.” She put it above her chest like she was holding her heart and made a face of melodramatic surprise which caused me to laugh. “No, I mean on your collar bone, delicately, yeah, perfect.” She rested the tips of her first three fingers on and around her collar bone while the other two floated beside them. “Now your right. Put it on top of your thigh. Yes, like that,” I smiled her. “Just keep your face slack and sit as still as possible.”

I opened my case and brought out a fresh piece of parchment and my charcoal pencil. Placing the case on my lap and the parchment on top of it, I stared at Liz for a moment, getting a sense of her.

My first stroke started on the top of her head and finished below her chin, outlining the right side of her face. I finished her head with another quick flick of the pencil and brought my eyes up to see how accurate it was. Surprisingly, I had gotten the shape of her head almost perfect. 

I finished the outline of her body and the chair she was sitting in within a matter of ten minutes, the soft curve of her shoulders, the point of her chin, the arc of her bare foot, the roundness of her bent knees, the space between her fingers, and the contour of her breast against her arm. 

Moving on to her clothing, I drew her uniform. I started with the outline and then started with the details. Her tie was crooked to the left and I made sure to capture that. Her skirt was ruffled slightly above her knee. Her shirt was folded in front of her stomach, so I added a shadow. 

Once her clothes were adequately detailed, I decided to move onto the details of her body. I drew her fingernails and the creases of her knuckles. The lump her collar bone created and the line of the tendons in her neck were next, plus the shadow under her chin and her jawline. Then was the shadows of her knees and thighs. Her calf muscle, her toes, her heel, her ankle. I was sure to capture every detail I could, wanting the drawing to be as accurate as possible. 

“So are you going to tell me about this meeting with Granger yet?” I asked her while moving onto the details of the chair she was sitting on. I always saved faces for last, if I could.

We had been carefully dancing around the subject of her meeting since it had happened.

“I already told you. We only talked about the most recent Educational Decree,” she sighed. She had been giving me the same answer since she got back to the common room that night.

“Anything else?” I flicked my hand across the page to capture the line of the cushion Liz was sitting on.

“Well, uh- do you know why Umbridge passed it?” she asked quietly. I remained silent but drew the curve of the armrest. “It was because of the Death Eater break out. Apparently, teachers were talking about it to students and Umbridge didn’t like it, so she stopped it.” She looked at me, judging my expression. I kept my face as emotionless as ever.

“Really?” The buttons of the backrest appeared.

“Yeah. I hadn’t heard about it until Hermione told me.” The shadow on the ground and the chairs feet next.

“Do you live under a rock?” I asked her. The only thing people had been talking about recently was the breakout.

“That’s what Ron asked me,” she smiled. Charcoal was brilliant for shadows, that’s why I love it.

“Weasley was there?” I looked up to her with raised eyebrows.

“Of course he was,” she replied shortly.

“Was Potter there?”

“Yes, Harry was there. Along with Neville, Ginny, and Luna.” She shifted slightly in the chair.

“Sit still,” I snapped.

“Sorry,” Liz muttered. Her face became slack once again, so I began on it. Faces were my favorite thing to draw, especially when I had a reference to look at. And Lizzie’s face was so exquisite, I loved to draw it. But they were difficult and very easy to mess up.

I dragged the pencil down the center of her face, drawing the arch of her nose then the curve of her nostrils. The ball of her nose was left blank, giving the idea that it was lit by something. In this case it was the fire beside her. 

My hand flicked against the paper multiple times adding the hairs that made up her eyebrows. I used my ring finger to blend the strokes slightly, giving the impression of the distance she was sitting at.

I moved on to her eyes next, drawing the large almond shape that dominated her face. I rapidly drew her eyelashes and eyelid lines. The charcoal was a perfect color to add the color of her irises inside her eyes. It showed the darkness and deepness in a way that was almost better than life. 

Next was her lips. Below her nose, I marked the indent and shaded it with my finger. I slowed down on her actual lips, the body part that I struggled the most with. Carefully moving the tip of the pencil across the parchment, I capture the curve of her top and bottom lip, while adding the shadow where they connected.

Very quickly, I added her hair to the drawing. The way it rested on her shoulders and curved softly. It looked silky in the firelight and I tried my best to capture it.

Leaning back, I held the parchment Lizzie up in front of me and compared it to the Lizzie sitting before me. The likeness was crazy. This was one of my best works yet.

“You done?” she asked shyly.

“Yep,” I answered standing up and crossing to the chair she was in. I squatted in front of her and handed her the parchment. She uncrossed her legs and grasped the parchment gently in both hands.

I watched her eyes study the paper, taking in every detail of herself.

“This is perfect,” Lizzie whispered. “Honestly Draco, you are bloody brilliant.” She jumped from the chair and wrapped her arms around my neck, pecking my cheek. I laughed at her.

“Thank you.” I placed my hands on her back, embracing her tightly. 

“No, thank you,” she buried her face into my neck and smiled against my skin. I couldn’t help smile with her. Seeing her happy made me happy.


	29. Chapter 29

Lizzie’s POV:

Draco and I spent Valentine's Day together at Hogwarts. Since everyone else was going to Hogsmeade for the day, we decided to stay behind to get some solitude. We spent most of the day sitting together in the common room alone, reading The Beauty and the Beast.

“‘She has been received by her subjects with transports of joy as great as those of grief which her loss had occasioned them. She had always loved them dearly, and her will being now unfettered, she proved as much, by showering upon them for many centuries all the benefits they could desire. Her power, assisted by the friendship of the Queen of the Fairies, preserved the life, health, and youth of the King, her husband, for ages. He only ceased to exist because no mortal can live forever.’” I read to him, leaning between his legs and grasping the aged book in my hands.

“‘The Queen and the Fairy, her sister, were equally attentive to Beauty, her husband, the Queen, his mother, the old man, and all his family, so so that there was never known people who lived so long. The Queen, mother of the Prince, caused this marvellous history to be recorded in the archive of her kingdom and in those of the Happy Island, that it might be handed down to prosperity. They also disseminated copies of it throughout the Universe, so that the world at large might never cease to talk of the wonderful adventures of Beauty and the Beast.’”

I shut the book and leaned my head back against Draco’s chest.

“That’s it?” Draco asked.

“That’s it,” I confirmed, looking up to the stone ceiling above us, studying the cracks and seals.

“How is this version different from the muggle movie version?” he questioned for possibly the hundredth time.

“The movie brings in a character named Gaston who tries to get Beauty to marry him and he ends up becoming the villain by trying to kill the Beast. In the movie, the servants are different too. Instead of monkeys and parrots, the servants are pieces of furniture such as a candlestick and a clock that come to life. Those are the most prominent differences. I’ll show you the movie someday so you can see for yourself.” 

“Promise?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me and placing his chin on my shoulder.

“Promise.” I giggled at how much interest he was taking in the fairy tale.  
“May I have this dance?” He stood up and bowed, holding his right hand out to me. I giggled and placed my hand in his.

“There’s no music, you know,” I told him as I placed my hand on his shoulder and he placed his on the small of my back, pressing my body against his.

“Sing,” he smiled at me. I lurched and stared at him as if he was stupid. “I know how much you love it, don’t pretend you don’t. Just sing, it’s only me here.” He gestured to the empty room around us with his head.

“Uh- w-what do I sing?” I stuttered nervously. I loved singing as much as Draco loved drawing but became frozen with fear when I sang in front of someone.

“Is there a song from La Belle et La Bête in your movie version?” he asked.

“Well- there is this one song…” I trailed off.

“Sing it,” he commanded softly. “Please.”

“Uh- okay.” I closed my eyes and began to hum the beginning of my favorite song from the Disney form of Beauty and the Beast. My voice lilted over the pitches easily. “Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly.” 

Draco began to guide us across the floor, gracefully turning us around and around. 

“Just a little change, small to say the least. Both a little scared, neither one prepared. Beauty and the beast.” My eyes opened and connected with his.

“Ever just the same,” my voice crescendoed louder with the music playing inside my head. “Ever a surprise. Ever as before ever just as sure as the sun will rise.” His arm tightened around my waist.

I sang the song while Draco and I danced to the sound of my voice ringing through the air. We circled around the room dancing a slow waltz in time with the music. Our feet stepped carefully, successfully avoiding each other's toes.

“Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast.” I finished the song with a resounding vibrato. Our steps slowed down until we were standing still, leaning our foreheads against each other.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” His eyes sparkled softly as he stared at me. I pressed my lips together in a smile that showed him just how much that phrase meant to me.

“Thank you,” I said shyly. 

“You are very welcome.” He pressed his lips against mine in a kiss of passion. His lips were soft and wet. He placed his hands on my waist, holding me in place close to his body. I pushed a hand through his silky hair, tugging slightly.

The bulge in his pants pressed against my core, causing my stomach to contract in excitement. I moved my hips in a circle making his grip on me tightened and he moaned into the kiss. Pushing his hips forward, he closed any distance between us. 

His hands cupped my breasts and squeezed them. I smiled at his eagerness. When he moved to unbutton my shirt, I stopped him. 

“Not in here,” I whispered into his ear. “Anyone could walk in.”

“Come with me,” he replied huskily. Gripping my hand in his, he led me to his empty dormitory. He pointed his wand at the door. “Collorputus. Muffliato.” He then threw his wand across the room and turned back to me, placing his hands on my hips. He pulled me closer to his body and kissed me. 

I tangled my hands in his hair and kissed him fiercely. Together, we backed up until I fell back onto a bed. He was on top of me, propping himself up with his hands. Carefully, he switched his weight onto his elbows and began to unbutton my shirt. I could feel his ravenous craving for my body, because I was feeling it too.

My hands left his hair and went to the buttons on his own shirt, working them through the holes. When we were both shirtless, we broke the kiss to take in each others bodies. His chest was as pale as the rest of him, the muscles were rippling slightly under his skin as he sat up and straddled me. 

“Melin, Liz,” he breathed, staring at my full chest. I could feel the bulge in his pants pressing against me, and quite frankly, it made me want him even more. My hands went to his shoulders and flipped him onto his back where I had been moments ago. I seductively dragged my hands down his chest, letting the feeling of his muscles imprint in my mind. When I reached the hem of his trousers, I teasingly whispered my fingertips along his skin, making him shiver. I undid the button and zipper of his trousers and pulled them down along with his pants. His length appeared and caused my core to tighten even more. 

I wrapped my hands around his member and began to move them up and down slowly, teasing him. He moaned and bit his lip. Smirking at the reaction I had gotten out of him, I dragged my tongue up the base and swirled around the top. Groaning, Draco thrust his hips up. 

“Hold on there, tiger,” I chuckled. 

“Quit being such a tease,” he moaned. 

Obeying him, I placed his shaft in my mouth and began to bob my head, being sure to use my tongue. I built up speed, savoring the feeling of Draco in my mouth. He breathed briskly and roughly, obviously enjoying our time together. I could feel sweat starting to bead on my forehead. 

Furious bobbing. Slow sucking. Gentle licking. Hands slippery, sliding. Fingers roaming. 

When I felt his abdomen muscles start to contract in ecstasy, I pulled back, grinning. 

“Not quite yet,” I commanded him. He groaned and made eye contact.

“My turn,” he growled. Standing up, we switched places, so I was once again laying on the bed. 

He reached his hands behind my back and quickly unclasped my bra, pulling it off and throwing it. My breasts became exposed to the cold air and perked up almost instantly. His mouth was on me, sucking each nipple chastely. My back arched in pleasure, trying to get closer to him. His hands found my skirt and pulled it down gracefully, revealing my black, lace knickers. He trailed kisses down my stomach while he worked my knickers off. 

Clasping a hand on either one of my thighs, he moved my legs apart revealing my wetness.

“Someone’s excited,” he chuckled huskily. Lowering his head, he pulled his tongue up my folds, teasingly circling my clit. I bucked my hips roughly, trying to get him to speed up. A knot of delirium developed in my stomach, causing a moan to slip from my lips. 

Draco slipped a finger inside of me and moved it in and out slowly, and as he sped up, my hunger for him built up until it was painful.

“Come on, Draco,” I moaned. He laughed softly and pulled his finger out. 

Standing up, he lined himself up with my entrance. He looked up to me as if asking permission. I nodded, needing to feel him. He pushed himself inside of me, filling me up and making the knot in my stomach tighten even more. My back arched and I pushed my hips closer to his body, getting him to go as deep as possible. 

With that, he sped up, thrusting in and out. Small grunts fell from his lips, while I let out little whimpers and moans in the euphoria of it all. My hands tangled in his hair, tugging slightly, while his arms wrapped around me, lifting me up into his chest. 

He buried his head into my neck and began to suck roughly, sure to leave a mark. Bouncing against me, I could feel his every move inside of me. He continued to press into me, gaining speed with each thrust. My hands roamed his body, running down his back, ghosting across his chest and caressing his neck and face. Draco’s lips pressed against mine passionately, as his rhythm began to get sloppy. 

I could feel the knot in my stomach tightening to the point of release and let a loud moan escape from my mouth. Draco moved one hand from the bed next to me, down to my core, finding my clit immediately. He rubbed it vigorously, bringing me closer and closer to the edge. After a couple more seconds I was crying out, arching into him as my orgasm ripped through me. After another few thrusts, Draco round his release, spilling into me and moaning loudly. 

He pulled out after a little while and rolled onto his back next to me. We both laid there in post orgasmic bliss, basking in each others presence. He propped himself on his elbow and looked down at me. He brushed a piece of hair out of my face and kissed me gently.

“I love you, Lizzie,” he smiled shyly, placing his hand on the side of my face. A wide smile spread across my face at his words.

“I love you too,” I whispered, kissing him.


	30. Chapter 30

Lizzie’s POV:

“Today, we will be reviewing the Patronus spell. I know a lot of you already know this spell from when I taught it a few months ago, but we have many new members who don’t know it, and it is a very useful spell that has, quite frankly, saved my life on multiple accounts. Those of you who know the spell, cast it on the count of three,” Harry spoke at the D.A. meeting that day. “One, two, three.”

The room was immediately lit up with blue as animals burst from wands all around me. After seeing Luna’s patronus hop around her a few times, I cast the spell myself. This time, the memory I used was the moment Draco had told me he loved me a few months ago. I closed my eyes and pictured Draco leaning above me and annunciated the words. “Expecto Patronum.”

A large silvery hippogriff leapt from the tip of my wand, flapping its feathery wings proudly. Its wings beat the air as it flew around me and I smiled at it landed and walked towards me. Making eye contact with me, it bowed lowly showing respect and submission. I dipped my head in respect to the creature I had created. Its feathers were sleek and beautiful, lying flat against its body. It slowly dissipated into the air and I stood watching Harry walking around admiring everyone’s patronus’ and providing advice to those who were struggling. 

I watched a small house elf I had never seen before appear and tug on Harry’s robes. Harry looked down at the small creature and smiled widely. I inched closer to them near the back of the room in order to hear their conversation, my Slytherin curiosity getting the better of me.

“Hi, Dobby!” Harry said. “What’s wrong?” Dobby? Elf names were so odd. I mean come on, who came up with the name Dobby?

The elf’s eyes were wide with terror and he was shuddering from head to toe. Everyone in the D.A. fell silent and watched the exchange between the wizard and elf.

“Harry Potter, sir,” the elf squeaked out. “Harry Potter, sir. Dobby has come to warn you, but the house elves have been warned not to tell.” The elf made a move to run headfirst into the wall, but Harry managed to catch him by the collar.

“What’s happened, Dobby?” Harry asked worriedly, spinning the elf around and squatting to his level.

“Harry Potter she… she.. She..”

“Who Dobby?” Harry asked. “Umbridge?” The elf nodded.

“She knows, Harry Potter. She knows of this,” Dobby yelped.

“Is she coming?” Harry asked, horrified. 

“Yes, Harry Potter, yes!” Harry straightened himself stiff as a board and looked around to the people who were watching him.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” Harry shouted.

The room broke out into panic. Everyone rushed to the door at once, yelling and bumping shoulders, but I was in shock at what I had just heard.

Umbridge knew? But how?

A shoulder rammed into my back, between my shoulder blades, causing me to arch my back in pain and squeal. This is what knocked sense into me and brought me slamming back to the Earth. If I didn’t run, Umbridge would catch us and I would be expelled for sure. 

Ignoring the sharp pain radiating from my back, I pelted to the now deserted door and made a sharp turn left, looking to head back to the Slytherin common room. I could see other students turning corners and sprinting along the corridors to their respective common rooms. 

As I made to turn right and begin down the first set of stairs, something caught me around the ankles, making me slam face first into the ground. My nose made an unnatural crunching noise and began to bleed profusely. 

“Over here, Professor!” an annoyingly familiar voice called behind me. I rolled onto my back to and attempt to see my assailant through the water that was collecting in my eyes. Short black hair and a puggy face appeared from around the corner. “Samuels,” Pansy growled. 

I began to struggle against the invisible thing that was holding my legs together. Any second, Umbridge would appear and expel me. 

“It’s no use,” she grinned evilly. “Professor!”

Umbridge appeared from around the corner that Pansy had come from and advanced towards me. “Miss Samuels!” she squeaked. “Up, up, we’re going to make a trip to the headmaster's office.” I got to my feet, the spell having worn off and Umbridge began to lead me to Dumbledore’s office. I could hardly see through the tears that were spilling down my cheeks from the pain in my nose. The tears only intensified when I heard a voice.

“Hey, Professor! I’ve got one!” It was Draco. I heard Draco calling out to Umbridge.

The evil woman jumped and gripped my arm. “Quickly, now.” She forced me around a few corners to where I saw a blur of blonde and green over a blur of black and red. “It’s him!” she shouted jubilantly. I kept my head to the ground, hoping Draco wouldn’t recognize me, but knowing he absolutely would, if he hadn’t already. “Stand up Potter,” she instructed cruelly. “You take Miss Samuels here to the hospital wing to get that mess fixed up. Don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll take Mr. Potter here to the Headmaster’s office.” Umbridge gripped Harry’s arm and dragged him away from Draco and me.

I once again directed my eyes to the ground in shame. I had only ever kept two secrets from Draco. My blood status and the D.A., and now both of them were out. I expected him to yell at me. Anger spilling from those wonderful grey eyes of his.

“Are you okay, Liz?” he asked me desperately, hurrying to me and lifting my chin. I could only see the blurry outline of his face through my tears which were beginning to turn into sobs. “Bloody hell,” he whispered. He began to pat at the blood gushing from my nose with the sleeve of his robes. “What happened to you?”

“P-Pansy,” I choked out, wincing against his touch. “I’m so sorry, Draco. I’m so so sorry.” I sobbed ashamedly.

“We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey,” he spoke, ignoring my apologies. He tenderly grabbed my upper arm and led me through the castle to the hospital wing. My body was now racking with sobs.

Once we were inside the hospital wing doors, Madam Pomfrey rushed over to me.

“Miss Samuels, I was hoping not to see you for a while.” She led me to a bed near to the one I spent a month in. “Alright dear, this might pinch a bit. Episkey.” My nose gave another sickening crunch as it snapped back into place. Fresh blood came out of my newly healed nose. “Now about all of that blood. Vulnera Sanentur.” The blood immediately stopped gushing from my nose. Sobs continued to shake me, however. “I think she’s going into a mild shock. Just lie down, dear,” she instructed me. I leaned backwards on the bed I was on and curled up into a tight ball, sobbing my eyes out. “If you wait with her for a little while, Mr. Malfoy, she should be fine to go back to bed soon.” Madam Pomfrey hustled over to another bed that was taken by someone else who had been attacked tonight.

My chest heaved and tears spilled down my cheeks, wetting the dried blood on my face. I buried my head between my knees, wanting to disappear forever.

I felt a hand rest on my back and rub soothing circles. 

Draco stayed there with me and allowed me to cry myself dry. I heaved harder than I ever had, feeling my ribs contract sharply with each breath. My cries shuddered my body and echoed around the room.

When no more tears would come, I lay there hiccupping.

“Come on, Liz,” Draco whispered. “Let’s get you to bed.” He placed a hand under my elbow and pulled me up.

“I’m sorry, Draco. I really, truly am. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how,” I ranted guiltily. I looked to him to see his reaction. His jaw only tightened. He was angry and wasn’t trying to hide it. 

I hiccupped all the way back to the common room. Instead of leading me to my own dormitory, Draco led me to his bed. He sat me down on it and dug through his trunk, pulling out a shirt and throwing it to me.

“Put that on,” he commanded as took his trousers and shirt off, leaving him in only his boxers. I obeyed him and took my bloody robes off, folding them nicely and placing them on top of Draco’s bedside table. “Come here.” He pulled his wand out and pointed it at my face. “Tergeo.” A cool, tickling feeling spread across my face, and upon examination appeared to have removed every trace of blood. He set his wand on his table and crawled into his bed, holding the blankets open for me to get in beside him. 

I gently slipped under the blankets and cuddled up next to Draco’s bare chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, which was all I needed at the moment. His minty scent filled my nose.

“I am so sorry, Draco,” I whispered.

“Sh,” he cut me off shortly. “Not tonight. Just get some sleep.” 

The fatigue of the event that had occurred that night caught up to me and forced my eyes shut. I was slipping into sleeps welcoming darkness, but managed to squeeze out a slurred “I love you,” to Draco before falling into a deep sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Draco’s POV:

The notices had gone up all over the school overnight. Umbridge was Headmistress. Dumbledore had overcome two Aurors, the High Inquisitor, the Minister of Magic, and his Junior Minister before escaping the school unnoticed. The school seemed to have changed over night from happy and cheerful to somber, dark, and especially scared.

I awoke that morning with my arms wrapped tightly around Lizzie, who was snuggled up into my neck breathing deeply. Brushing her hair out of her hair, I kissed her forehead and gently shook her awake. “Time to get up, love,” I yawned. “Gotta go get breakfast.” 

Liz groaned and nestled herself further into me, raising a chuckle from me. “No, come on. Let’s go see the damage from last night.” She yawned and pulled back from me, looking into my eyes. Her nose was bruised from being broken the night before, but other than that, she showed no signs of almost being expelled.

“Up,” I commanded her quietly. She nodded tiredly and rubbed her eyes, struggling to stand. I wrapped my arm around her waist and helped her up. I cleaned her robes of blood and we both dressed for the day. 

We made our way to the common room hand in hand. A crowd of students were standing in front of the announcement board, all chattering at the same time. I spotted Blaise at the edge of the group and asked him what was going on.

“Umbridge is Headmistress,” he spoke excitedly. Liz’s hand tightened around mine and I squeezed in return. 

“Let’s go,” I muttered to Liz.

We journeyed to the Great Hall together silently, observing the students who were all discussing the same subject. Sitting down at the Slytherin table, we picked at our food, both knowing what Umbridge’s appointment means.

“I’m sorry,” Lizzie whispered beside me. I turned my head to look at her.

“What were you thinking?” I asked, quiet anger and betrayal rising into my voice. “You knew what would happen if you joined that club. You knew you would get caught eventually, and you still joined.”

“You-Know-Who is back, Draco. We need to know how to defend ourselves because one of his number one targets is Hogwarts. He will do anything to get into this school and once he does, there will be a fight and we need to know how to fight back, because if we don’t, we’ll die.” She whispered the last two words almost inaudibly. 

“Who says he’s even back?” I countered. 

“You and I both know he’s back, Draco,” she said shortly.

“I know,” I sighed in defeat. Turning my head to examine the other students in the Hall, I took in their appearances. They all looked terrified to say the least, but were trying their best to hide it seeing as Umbridge was sitting at the head table and looking down at everyone with an aura of authority. “What’s going to happen now?” 

“Nothing good, that’s for sure,” Liz replied lowly. “Can we just get out of here? I can’t even stand being in the same room as her right now.” I looked at her to see her staring with a horrified expression at Umbridge.

“Yeah, of course. Let’s go,” I replied, taking her hand and leading her from the room. “Do you want to go on a walk around the lake?” The weather had warmed up during the last few weeks of March, making it a beautiful time to go outside.

“Yeah,” she replied.

Together we walked from the Entrance Hall and out the door. A gentle spring breeze met us bringing along with it the smell of blooming flowers. Liz took a deep breath and began walking forward. 

“You know, on second thought, can we just sit down?” she asked, gesturing to a tree beside us. It’s leaves were just beginning to bud.

“Sure,” I agreed. We sat down on the new grass and stared out at the lake. The waves in created by the breeze against the water were lapping gently against the land. I was lulled into a nice feeling of peacefulness. Liz stared at the water as well as I.

“Do you really want a brother?” she asked me quietly.

“What?” I stuttered, caught off guard by her random question.

“When we read La Belle et La Bête at your house you said you wanted a brother,” she explained, turning her head and looking at me.

“I mean, what only child doesn’t dream of having a sibling?” I replied, still looking at the water. 

“Sometimes when Grayson and I were growing up, I used to wish I was an only child when we had a row. I would get so angry and hide in my room, and wish with all my might that I was born an only child,” she spoke, looking back to the lake.

“It’s a very dull life to live. One without siblings, that is. I never had anyone to play with. Sure Mother would arrange play dates with other pure blooded children my age. Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and Blaise became my friends, but I wanted a brother. Someone to fight with, to draw with, you know, but it never happened.” I finished my story and Lizzie remained silent. Obviously lost in her thoughts. 

The cool breeze blew my hair into my eyes, so I brushed it away with a gentle brush. When I placed my hand back on the ground beside me, I tangled it in the grass that was slowly, but steadily stretching towards the sky. It felt soft between my fingers, having not yet grown its rougher edges. 

“Do you want kids?” Liz asked another random question.

“Merlin, what’s with all of these questions?” I chuckled lightly.

“Sorry, just stuck in my mind,” she muttered. She was often ‘stuck in her mind’ as she put it. Her thoughts would start to spin and they would snowball out of control until it was almost impossible to drag her out. When this happened, she would stare blankly into space and fidget with something, as she was doing now with the hem of her skirt.

“I want at least two. A boy and a girl,” I replied after a few moments. Liz’s head twisted towards me and I met her eyes with mine.

“What would you name them?” she whispered, not breaking the eye contact.

“Scorpius Hyperion and Cassiopeia May,” I shared with her easily. This was something that I had thought over a few times at least. 

“I love those names,” she smiled at me. My hairs stood on end, but I couldn’t figure out if it was from the chilly air or Lizzie’s smile.


	32. Chapter 32

Lizzie’s POV:

The weeks leading up to our O.W.L.’s and the actual tests themselves flew by in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, I found myself thinking forward to the summer holiday. 

I was wandering aimlessly around the castle, just looking to stretch when I met Ginny Weasley standing at the end of a corridor telling a group of students that someone had released a load of Garroting Gas and that they should take the long way around. Finding this suspicious, I approached the red haired girl.

“Hey, Ginny,” I called to her.

“Oh, hey, Lizzie,” she replied stressfully, peeking over her shoulder.

“What’s going on?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious that she was lying about the Garroting Gas, but why?

“Someone let off a load of Garroting Gas,” she repeated, looking over her shoulder once more and down the corridor behind her where Luna Lovegood stood.

“What’s really going on?” I urged the girl. 

“Harry had a vision and is using Umbridge’s fire to call someone since it’s the only fire that’s not monitored,” she explained vaguely.

“A vision? What about?”

“He saw his godfather being tortured by Voldemort,” she added darkly. Shifting back and forth on her feet and constantly glancing over her shoulder, it was obvious to tell she was nervous, and Ginny didn’t get nervous.

“What?” I asked in shock. Voldemort torturing Harry’s godfather? First of all, Harry has a godfather? Second of all, Voldemort?!

Before the girl could answer me, someone’s hand gripped my arm roughly. I began to turn around to see who the hell had the nerve to pass my personal boundaries, but saw someone grab Ginny’s arm as well.

“Hey!” she shouted, spinning around and throwing a punch at the assailant, who happened to dodge it quite easily.

“You’re coming with us,” the girl who had a grip on me smirked, leading us down the corridor behind Ginny. I tried to pull my arm from the girl’s grasp but she was stronger than me by a tenfold. Her grip around my bicep tightened, causing me to flinch but stop struggling. Ginny, however, was still trying to kick and punch her way out of this. Had the situation been different, I would have laughed at her desperateness.

“What’s going on?” a voice called behind us.

“Neville!” Ginny called, twisting her body around. I turned my head to see Neville Longbottom heading our way, his wand drawn somewhat menacingly.

“Let them go,” Neville commanded firmly. His robes were crooked and messy along with his hair, so his scare factor was brought down a few notches. I had to admit I was glad he was there, though.

“I don’t think so,” Vincent Crabbe replied from behind us. He walked right up to Neville and put him in a chokehold. Neville looked as if he wanted to fight against Vincent, but froze instead, which is what allowed Vince such ease at apprehending him. “Let’s go,” Vincent spoke.

As they led us down the corridor once more, we saw Luna and Ron being led our direction by a large Slytherin. We all made terrified and guilty eye contact with each other. The Slytherin’s shoved us through the door to Umbridge’s office where I landed on my hands and knees because the girl leading me had been so rough.

Standing up and glaring at the girl, I looked around the room. Harry was being held by his hair by none other than Umbridge herself. Hermione was in the corner, gripped by Millicent Bulstrode. I put on my best Slytherin-I’m-going-to-kill-you-all face and adjusted my uniform.

“Got ‘em all,” said the boy holding Ginny. He jabbed a thumb at Neville. “That one tried to stop me from taking them, so we brought him along too.”

“Good, good,” Umbridge cried. Ginny started to kick the shins of the boy holding her. “Well, it looks like Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley free zone, doesn’t it?” I wanted to leap from where I was standing and strangle the vile woman. There was not one other person that I loathed more than her. 

A quiet chuckle sounded from beside the window at Umbridge’s Weasley comment. My head snapped in the direction of the noise and jerked when I saw who it was. 

Draco was standing there, holding Harry’s wand. His eyes met mine. He was equally as surprised to see me there as I was to see him. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and cocked his head slightly to the left. He had obviously not seen me when I was thrown into the room.

“So, Potter. It was clearly important to you to speak to someone. Now, who was it? Albus Dumbledore? Or perhaps it was the half-breed, Hagrid?” 

“It’s none of your business who I talk to,” Harry snapped. For the first time, I wanted to applaud Harry’s sass, seeing as it was aimed towards Umbridge and not me.

“Very well. If you won’t tell me yourself, perhaps the Cruciatus Curse will loosen your tongue,” the toad croaked. My Slytherin-I’m-going-to-kill-you-all expression faltered at her decision to use an Unforgivable Curse on Harry. Sure Harry and I weren’t exactly on the best of terms at the moment, but Unforgivable Curses were unforgivable for a reason.

“No! That’s illegal! The Minister of Magic wouldn’t want you to do that!” Hermione cried. She had beat me to objecting.

“What Cornelius doesn’t know, won’t hurt him,” Umbridge said, who was now pointing her wand at Harry. Her short, stubby, and ringed fingers curled dangerously around the length of wood. I wanted to reach out and snap it with all of my heart. “Cruc-”

“NO!” shouted Hermione, lurching forward in Millicent’s hold. “Harry! We have to tell her!” All heads in the room snapped to the girl very suddenly.

“Tell me what?” Umbridge said. I prayed to whatever God there was out there, that Hermione wouldn’t tell Umbridge anything.

“Hermione, no!” Harry protested.

“Tell you about Dumbledore’s secret weapon,” Hermione gulped. Dumbledore’s secret weapon? Dumbledore had a secret weapon? Despite my utter confusion, I kept my mouth shut.

“Weapon? Weapon? Where is this weapon?” Umbridge shouted angrily. “Lead me to it.” Her wand was still pointed at Harry, an Unforgivable Curse on her lips, so none of us were in any position to argue.

“F-fine!” Hermione’s lip quivered, tears obviously threatening to spill down her cheeks. 

“All right dear, me, you, and Potter. Get up now,” the woman commanded. “You all wait here and don’t let any of these escape,” she said sharply, pointing around the room to each of the hostages. Together, Hermione, Harry, and Umbridge left the office, leaving the rest of us alone.

“Looks like it’s just you and us,” one of the Slytherin’s spoke.

“Lizzie, what the hell are you doing here?” Draco asked me angrily, stepping up to me and staring me in the eye.

“I could ask you the same,” I replied cooly.

“I asked you first,” he rounded.

“Alright, I was just trying to figure out what was going on when these buffoons grabbed me. Is there something wrong with wanting to help my friends?” I folded my arms in front of my chest and narrowed my eyes at Draco.

“Yes, when they’re these friends!” he shouted, gesturing wildly to Ginny, Luna, Ron, and Neville.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gritted, daring him to say something against them.

“Don’t you remember what happened last time you got mixed up with them? You almost got expelled!”

“We’re not having this conversation again,” I snapped.

“Yes, we are,” he stated firmly.

“Draco, Voldemort has Harry’s godfather,” I shouted at him angrily. “We’re trying to save a Goddamned man’s life! Is there something wrong with that?” 

“You’re going to get yourself expelled! Or killed!” he countered quickly.

“I’d rather be expelled knowing I saved a man’s life than spend my life sitting here in Hogwarts knowing I could have helped save him!” I stomped my foot in utter anger.

“Merlin’s pants, Lizzie! I can’t let you get yourself expelled.”

“Draco, you have to let us go. We have to go save Harry’s godfather,” I pleaded with him.

“I can’t let you, Liz,” he whispered, taking my hands. I took a step back from him, the feeling of betrayal knotting itself in my chest. 

“Fine, be that way,” I told him coldly, turning my back on him and going to stand beside Ginny. 

“Bloody hell. Why do you have to be such a hero?” he asked me. What happened next was completely unexpected. Draco reached into his pocket and pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at each of the Slytherin’s holding us, stunning them. “Go save the damned man, just please be careful.” He picked each of our wands up off of the ground and handed them out.

“Thank you, Draco,” I whispered after I threw my arms around his neck.

“I love you, Lizzie. Be careful,” he begged me.

“I will, and I love you too,” I smiled at him as Ginny, Neville, Luna, Ron, and I ran from the room.


	33. Chapter 33

Lizzie’s POV:

The five of us sprinted through Hogwarts to the front entrance hall, skidding around corners and leaping down steps. We all seemed to be following Ron, who was several paces in front of us.

“Where do you think they took her?” Ginny panted beside me.

“I have an idea,” Ron huffed, throwing the creaky door open. He only paused a moment before he took off towards the Forbidden Forest.

“The Forbidden Forest?” I asked in confusion, running a few metres behind Ron. That’s where Dumbledore hid his weapon?

“That’s where Hagrid hid Grawp,” Ron replied.

“What the hell is Grawp?” I questioned. “And what has Hagrid got to do with any of this?” Today was just getting more and more confusing as the day went on.

As we neared the edge of the forest. Ron slowed to a brisk walk. I was about to ask him how we were going to find Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge inside the vast area when a familiar voice rang out from just beyond the line of trees.

“Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?” Hermione asked. I saw Ron’s freckled face break out into a wide grin.

“Yeah, we were just wondering that,” he said, walking into the forest to where Hermione’s voice had originated. Harry and Hermione were standing there looking worse for wear. Several scratches covered their faces and leaves and twigs were sticking from their hair. 

“How did you get away?” Harry asked in amazement. His jaw was practically on the ground.

“Couple of Stunners,” Ron said, glancing at me a bit nervously. “What’ve you done with Umbridge?” He asked the question all of us were wondering, seeing as the horrid woman was nowhere to be found.

“She got carried away,” Harry replied. “By a herd of centaurs.” He looked mighty pleased with himself.

“And they left you behind?” Ginny asked.

“No, they got chased off by Grawp,” he explained vaguely.

“Who the hell is Grawp?” I questioned, wanting at least a little bit of explanation.

“Hagrid’s little brother,” Ron brushed me off. “Anyway, how are we getting to London?” We all fell silent, pretending to be thinking of a way to get to London where I assumed Voldemort was keeping Harry’s godfather.

“Well, we’ll have to fly, won’t we?” Luna said, speaking for the first time.

\---

Within a matter of thirty minutes, we were streaking over the land below us, flying on Thestrals. Since I had never seen anyone die (thank Merlin), the group of us were flying without any visible means of support, and it was utterly bizarre. 

We flew for what seemed to be ages, while my hands and face quickly became numb from the cool spring air. Had I felt any urge to, I would have been unable to study the forests and villages and lakes that zoomed past us on our journey, but I was too terrified of the near future to do anything but go over a list of spells in my head. And before I was ready, we were all suddenly lurching towards the ground. Bright city lights became visible and were growing larger and larger. We were in London. 

When my Thestral touched down, I quite ungracefully slid off it’s invisible back to the pavement below, thankful to be back on the ground. Don’t get me wrong, flying was breathtaking and all, but it had been a bit unnerving being unable to see what was holding me up. 

“Where do we go then?” Luna asked Harry in an airy voice. Her blonde hair was blown back from the wind, as I imagine all of ours was.

“Over here,” Harry said, making his way to a battered telephone box and opened the door. The seven of us piled into the very, very small booth, with elbows and shoulders sticking into each others stomachs. I suddenly became aware of how bad we all smelled. “Whoever’s nearest to the receiver, dial six two four four two!” Harry said. Ron twisted around beside me, bending his arm oddly to reach the dial. 

“Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business,” a cool and professional female voice sounded. I jumped at the sound of her voice, along with whoever’s chest was against my back.

“Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Lizzie Samuels, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom,” Harry rushed. “We’re here to save someone!”

“Thank you,” the voice replied. “Visitors, please take the badges and place them on the front of your robes.” A long sleeve of badges slid out of the chute where coins usually appeared. Hermione scooped them up and handed them to their respective owners. 

The floor to the telephone booth gave a resounding shudder and began to lower. A dim, golden light lit our ankles and slid up our bodies as the Ministry of Magic appeared in front of us. “The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening,” the female voice said. I smiled at the irony.

Once the door of the booth opened, Harry took off down a long and empty hall as the rest of us followed quickly behind him, not wanting to be left behind. He led us to a large room where many golden gates were. Harry pushed the down button by the nearest lift and, when it appeared, jabbed the number nine, gesturing wildly for us all to file in with him. 

When the shaking lift stopped, the same female voice sounded. “Department of Mysteries.” I vaguely wondered why were at the Department of Mysteries, or even at the Ministry of Magic in the first place, but forced the thought from my mind. I had to trust that Harry knew what he was doing. If I couldn’t trust The Boy Who Lived, who could I trust?

Harry leapt from the lift and sprinted down a dark hallway that led to a plain, black door.

“Let’s go,” he whispered, leading us to the door.

We were standing in a large, circular room where everything inside was black- black floors, black ceiling, black walls, and black doors. There were a dozen or so doors surrounding us, all looked exactly the same to the one we had just come through. 

Speaking of: the door behind us shut with a resounding thud, and immediately, the room began to rotate, knocking Ginny and I off balance. We hurried to our feet and looked around. The room was spinning, the doors were blurring together.

How were we supposed to get out? I thought to myself.

“W-where do we go?” Neville stuttered beside me. 

“Let’s just try a few doors,” Harry suggested quietly. He didn’t know what he was doing anymore than I did, I realized. He marched up to a random door and pushed it open.

The change in lighting from the room behind us to this new room was almost blinding. The place was empty except for a few desks and, in the center of the room, an enormous glass tank of dark green water and large white objects floating around inside.

“What are those things?” Ron asked.

“Dunno,” Harry replied, swallowing deeply. “Let’s get out of here, it’s not the right room.” 

We turned around and went back through the door we entered, and before the room could rotate again, Hermione pointed her wand at the door and muttered, “Flagrate,” casting a large, fiery X over the door. The room began to spin immediately after Hermione cast her spell.

When it stopped spinning, Harry lurched towards the door to the right of the one with the red X and pushed it open.

“This is it!” he hissed immediately, rushing forwards, the rest of us following blindly. 

This room was high as a church and full of nothing but gigantic towering shelves holding thousands upon thousands of shimmering balls. The room was very cold, causing me to shudder.

Harry sprinted forward, expecting us to follow. “Keep your wands out,” he whispered, holding his own wand out in front of him. I lifted my right arm, brandishing my wand. 

We passed row after row of the tall shelves. Eighty-four… Eighty-five…

“Ninety-seven!” Hermione whisper shouted. 

“He’s down at the end,” Harry replied, turning and rushing down row ninety-seven. 

“Harry,” Hermione said once we reached the end of the row. “Harry, he’s not here.” I studied our surroundings. Hermione was right. Harry’s godfather wasn’t here. Whatever vision Harry had had, was wrong. 

“He might be somewhere… Maybe…” Harry wondered, peering down the rows beside us.

“Harry, I don’t think Sirius is here,” Ron said. 

“Harry, this one has your name on it,” Neville said suddenly, pointing to a small glass orb at eye level on the shelf to our right. 

Harry inched towards Neville. Sure enough, even I could see from where I was standing some several feet away from Neville, a yellowed label hung from the orb with Harry’s name printed on it in spidery writing. It was very dusty, as if it hadn’t been touched in years.

Stretching out a hand, Harry closed his fingers around the ball and lifted it from its place on the shelf. He took a deep breath and blew on it, causing a large cloud of dust to billow off of it. 

“Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me,” a slow and drawling voice commanded from behind me. I whipped around to see black figures emerge from out of thin air around us. They were surrounding us. Ginny gave a gasp of horror, and my lungs seemed to constrict when I saw who had spoken.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, holding out a hand. “To me, Potter,” he repeated.

I wanted to melt into the floor and disappear. Lucius Malfoy. The father of Draco Malfoy.

“Where’s Sirius?” Harry asked quietly. Then with more confidence, stepped back towards the group of us with his chin held high. “I know you have him.”

“It’s time you learn the difference between real life and dreams, Potter. Now, the prophecy, or we start using wands.” Lucius narrowed his eyes at us. I stepped behind Harry, hoping that Lucius wouldn’t see me. 

“Smash shelves when I say go,” Harry hissed to me, moving his lips as little as possible. Then he continued to distract the Death Eaters as I passed the message around our little group. “So he, Voldemort, wanted me to come and get this prophecy, did he? Why?” 

“Why?” Lucius asked. “Because the only people permitted to retrieve prophecies are those about whom the prophecy was made, Potter.” I turned my body as much as I dared to whisper Harry’s message to Luna, who turned and shared with Ginny.

“Why didn’t he come and get it himself?” Harry asked. It was quite obvious that Harry was stalling and I wondered why Lucius hadn’t made a move yet to retrieve his prize.

“Get it himself?” Lucius sounded astonished at Harry’s question. “The Dark Lord knows you are not unintelligent, Potter, but-”

“NOW!” Harry shouted. I pointed my wand at a shelf beside me and yelled, “Reducto!”, causing the shelf to explode. “RUN!” The shelves around us teetered dangerously, threatening to collapse on us. Ron, Ginny, Luna, and I ran forward past Harry, Hermione, and Neville with our arms over our heads. 

Glass orbs fell to the floor all around us, releasing wisps of silvery-blue shapes similar to those of a patronus. I kept my eyes on the ground and sprinted behind Ron, hot on his heels. 

Ron pushed open a door in front of us and slammed it shut once the four of us were all inside safely. 

“Coll-” I attempted to seal the door behind us, but was lifted off of my feet along with the other three. 

“Bloody hell!” Ron shouted. The room we had run into was pitch black save for the several large, spheres floating around us.

“Are those the planets?” Ginny asked in awe. Once she said it, I realized that she was right. We were in a room that was a model of the Solar System. There was Mercury, and Venus, and Pluto. Had we had more time and been in a different situation, I would have loved to study the room, but instead four Death Eaters came vaulting through the door after us and were shortly lifted into the air. Yelling in surprise, one of them grabbed Ginny’s ankle, who then proceeded to grab my arm.

“Ron!” Ginny shouted. Ron flailed his arms and legs, attempting to spin around in mid-air. He held his wand out and pointed it to the planet behind us, Pluto.

“Reducto!” he shouted. A blue laser of light shot from his wand and slammed into Pluto, causing it to explode. 

I gave a yelp of surprise as a rock came flying from the newly torn apart planet and crashed into my head, causing my vision to go black.


	34. Chapter 34

Draco’s POV:

I sat in the Slytherin common room in the middle of the afternoon, having skipped classes to await Lizzie’s return. The sofa beneath me sagged under my weight, for I had been sitting in the same spot for the entire night, barely even changing positions. I could feel the bags under my eyes already forming from my refusal to sleep. I was not going to miss Lizzie’s return.

My mind had spent the time switching between thinking about absolutely nothing at all to worrying about why Lizzie hadn’t returned yet. I had to stop myself from thinking every once in awhile because my mind had begun to think about some terrible situation that Lizzie could be in.

Was she stranded in the Forbidden Forest surrounded by a hungry pack of werewolves?

Did she fall into the lake and get dragged under the water by the squid?

Had Potter led her into a trap that had inevitably led to her demise?

Did she need my help?

Was she in mid-battle with a troll and losing quickly?

No she wouldn’t lose. If I know Liz at all, she would fight with every fiber of her being and win easily. She is a feisty little thing.

I wished that I could have a sign, any sign at all, that she was okay. Or I was going to go crazy sitting here waiting for her. 

My wish came true around dinner time, when my stomach had begun to growl with hunger. I had been sitting on the sofa staring at a stone in the wall thinking about another horrible situation Liz could possibly be in when the cushion beside me sank as someone sat down. I turned to tell the person off but leapt in surprise when I saw a pair of deep grey eyes smiling back at me. 

“Elizabeth Samuels, where the hell have you been?” I asked fiercely, throwing my arms around her body and holding her tightly to me. 

“Nice to see you too,” she winced slightly as she gently hugged me back. I drew back quickly and placed my hands on her shoulders, staring seriously into her eyes.

“Are you okay?” I whispered. She shrugged and refused to make further eye contact with me.

“I’m fine, just got a little bump in the head by Pluto,” she smiled a bit as if this were a joke to her.

“What do you mean ‘a bump in the head by Pluto’? As in the planet Pluto?” I raised my eyebrows at her, shocked and worried.

“Yeah,” she smiled shyly.

“You better explain,” I commanded. I did not wait here all night and all day to be left in the dark about what happened, especially now that I knew she got hurt.

“Can we uh- go somewhere no one will hear us?” She cast her eyes around the room, looking to see who was around us. 

“Room of Requirement,” I muttered, grabbing her hand and dragging her to said room.

Once inside, I sat her down on the red velvet sofa provided by the room and looked at her expectantly.

“Spill it all,” I stated firmly. Lizzie was not leaving this room if I didn’t get an answer.

“Have you heard anything at all?” she asked.

“No,” I replied honestly. “I’d been on that sofa from the moment you left to the moment you returned and refused to talk to anyone.” 

“Oh, well, uh- after we left Umbridge’s office, we met Harry and Hermione at the edge of the forest. Apparently Umbridge got carried off by a herd of centaurs. I don’t know what happened to her.” She looked down at her hands which were fidgeting nervously in her lap.

“Centaurs?” I asked in shock. She smiled at her hands and almost chuckled a bit at the thought of Umbridge being carried away by a load of half-horse half-man people.

“Yeah,” she answered. “That’s all Harry said.”

“What happened next?”

“We flew to London on the backs of a bunch of thestrals.” 

“Thestrals? This story just keeps getting more and more odd,” I mused, dragging a hand through my hair.

“It was Luna’s idea if that explains anything. Anyway, when we got inside the Ministry-”

“The Ministry of Magic?! How the hell did you get in?” My jaw dropped to the floor in awe. The Ministry of Magic isn’t a place that you can just waltz into whenever you please.

“The visitors entrance,” she turned her head and surveyed the room, taking in the crackling fire and dimmed lights around us.

“Merlin’s beard, Liz,” I sighed. “Keep going.”

“Once we were inside the Ministry, we went to the Department of Mysteries. That was where Harry said he saw his godfather being tortured.”

“Sirius Black was being tortured? By who?” 

“No, not Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather,” she corrected me.

“Sirius Black is Harry’s godfather. I thought everyone knew that.”

“What?” she asked. She raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth, obviously shocked. 

“Who was torturing him?” 

“Harry said it was You-Know-Who.”

“You-Know-Who in the Ministry of Magic? I doubt that would happen. This seems like one big trap.”

“Well, that’s the thing, it was a trap. Once we got to the place where Harry saw his g- Sirius, no one was there. We looked around a little bit, but there was no sign of anyone being down there in a long time. And then Neville saw a prophecy with Harry’s name on it and when Harry picked it up, a bunch of people in hoods came out of the shadows.” She stopped there and picked at her fingernails nervously, obviously trying to hide something.

“Who were they?” I prompted her quickly.

“Death Eaters,” she whispered.

“Who? I want names, Liz,” I asked her gently, already knowing the answer.

“Most of them were wearing these horrible masks, but t-two of them weren’t.”

“Who?”

“One was Bellatrix Lestrange.” She winced at the thought of the woman. I didn’t blame her. She was a mad, horrible woman. Almost worse than Umbridge, if I dare say.

“And the other?”

“Your father,” she murmured loud enough for me to hear. My blood ran cold when she spoke those two words. I had already figured my father had been there, but hearing the confirmation from Liz’s mouth was completely different. Now she knew how my family was.

“What happened?” I whispered, wanting to know what happened after.

“H-he demanded that Harry give him the prophecy and of course Harry refused, so we ran. Ron, Ginny, Luna, and I lost Harry, Hermione, and Neville and ended up in a room that was a model of the solar system. We floated around for a bit, but then a few of the Death Eaters chased us and one of them grabbed Ginny who then grabbed me. Ron blew up Pluto to try and get him off of Ginny and one of the pieces hit me in the head pretty hard. That’s the last thing I remember,” she muttered, shrugging. 

“Merlin, are you okay?” I asked, grabbing her hands lightly in mine. They were cold and shaking from terror or nervousness. She looked up shyly and nodded in response to my question.

“H-he came there after I was knocked out. V-Voldemort. He fought Dumbledore. He’s really back, Draco.” The tears that had been forming in her eyes slipped out. “Harry’s godfather died.”

“I’m so sorry, Liz. I should have done something. Stopped you, anything. I’m so sorry.” I pulled her close to me and wrapped my arms firmly around her, feeling protective. Her shoulders shook slightly.

“What’s going to happen now?” Lizzie choked out. 

“I don’t know,” I rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her. “I don’t know.” 

“He could h-have killed us. He could have killed Harry,” she cried.

“But he didn’t. Everyone’s safe now,” I cradled her head and pat her hair softly.

“No one’s safe now. There’s going to be a war and what if he wins?”

“He won’t,” I promised her. “I’ll make sure of it.”


	35. Chapter 35

Lizzie’s POV: 

The end of term was here before anyone was ready for it, and by the time we all climbed onto The Hogwarts Express, every witch, wizard, and child knew the state of things. The Minister had finally recognized that Voldemort was back and The Daily Prophet had covered the happenings of that fateful night.

Draco and I had spent the last few days of term together in a somber quietness that disturbed me. Neither of us knew what to say to each other, so we said little to nothing. We spent most of the time just sitting together, holding each other close. 

Harry was doing well considering what had happened. I didn’t know how close him and Sirius were, but they were obviously close because Sirius’ death crushed Harry. Hermione and Ron were doing their best to keep him distracted, and weren’t doing too bad of a job at it. I wanted to talk to them, but couldn’t find a moment. I was hoping I would be able to find him on the train. 

“Lizzie. Elizabeth. Hello?” Draco waved his hand in front of my face to get my attention.

“Sorry, what’d you say?” I asked. 

“I asked you where you want to sit,” he repeated. 

“Actually, you go find us a seat. I want to find Harry,” I told him. Draco furrowed his eyebrows but agreed, leaving me to find us a place to sit. 

I searched the train, looking into each compartment trying to find Harry and most likely Hermione and Ron. I found them pretty quickly, sitting with Neville and Luna in a compartment. When I opened the door, their heads snapped to the sound and stared at me. 

“Hey,” I smiled shyly.

“Hi, Liz,” Hermione replied with a polite smile.

“I uh- I came to see how you guys are doing. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since that night at the Ministry.” I sat down next to Luna, who was reading a copy of the Quibbler. 

“How do you think we’re doing?” Harry snapped, causing me to jump.

“Harry,” Hermione hissed. 

“No, it’s alright, I get it,” I replied.

“No you don’t,” Harry sneered. “You’re too busy running around with that Death Eater boyfriend of yours to see what’s going on around you.”

“Harry!” Hermione smacked Harry’s arm.

“Insulting me is one thing, Harry, but don’t you dare insult Draco,” I stated firmly, starting to get angry.

“I’ll do what I want.” Curse Harry and his attitude.

“How are the rest of you doing?” I switched my focus from Harry to the others, wanting to avoid a row.

“We’re doing as good as we can,” Ginny told me.

“How’s your ankle?” I asked Ginny.

“It’s wonderful. Madam Pomfrey fixed it in a jiffy.”

“That’s good,” I smiled. “Anyway, I just wanted to come see how you guys were doing and wish you a happy summer. Please write to me and keep me updated, if it’s not too much trouble. I’ll miss you all.” I stood up and waved to my friends, a chorus of ‘goodbye’s following me out of the compartment.

Walking down the corridor, I turned over Harry’s attitude in my mind. Why had he been so rude to me? I only wanted to check up on him. I can understand a bit of rudeness since he lost Sirius, but he had not only insulted me, but Draco as well. He knows better than to do that in front of me.

I found Draco in the Slytherin compartment, sitting beside Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle. Sitting down beside Draco, I wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek.

“Hey,” he greeted me, glaring at Blaise as if I had just saved him from a conversation he didn’t want to have. “How’d it go?”

“Tell you later,” I muttered, not wanting to share the interaction with any of the other Slytherin’s around me and give them even more of a reason to dislike me. It’s bad enough they all hate me for being a half-blood (though they all think I’m muggleborn since I hadn’t told anyone about my new-found-father), I don’t need them to know that I am friends with Harry Potter and his group of Gryffindors. “So, did I miss anything?” I asked Blaise with a sarcastic politeness.

“No,” Blaise’s glare switched from me to Draco. “I was just asking Draco here if he was planning on having any visitors this summer.” He stressed the word visitors as this was a specific visitor he knew of.

“And I was telling Blaise here that even if I am, it is none of his damn business,” Draco sneered.

“Alrighty then,” I cringed at the tension in the air. It was obvious that something had gone down between the two friends, or was about to.

\---

In the blink of an eye, the train was arriving at Kings Cross, lurching as the brakes were applied. I looked around me at the train, knowing that the next time I was to step on it, everything would be different. I didn’t know how it would be different, just knowing it would be. 

“Promise me you’ll write me,” I turned to Draco on the platform, looking into his eyes.

“I’ll do my best,” he replied, his eyes darting from mine to something over my shoulder. Turning, I saw his father looking at us.

“I’ll um- I’ll see you at start of term. I’ll miss you, Draco,” I murmured loud enough for him to hear over the noise of the crowd around us.

“See you then,” he smiled softly. I wanted to throw my arms around him and kiss him right here, but with his father staring at the back of my head, I couldn’t manage to find the courage inside of me. So I squeezed his hand and left him there to find my mum, my stomach churned inside of me.

I found my mum standing near the back of the crowd where she usually meets me when I exit the train. She had pulled her auburn hair back into a ponytail and had her arms crossed in front of her chest. When her eyes met mine, she shot a hand into the air and waved at me with a huge smile on her face. She was a very beautiful woman and it showed especially when she was smiling. I smiled in return and ran to her, wrapping my arms around her. 

“I’ve missed you, Liz.” I could hear the grin on her face through my hair. 

“I missed you too, mum.” 

“Grayson couldn’t get off of work today, so you’re stuck with just me for now.” She pulled back and held me at arm's length to examine me. “Oh my, you’ve grown so much.” Tears began to collect on the rims of her eyes, threatening to spill forth.

“Don’t cry, mum,” I told her. She let me go and wiped at her eyes furiously.

“Yes, yes, I know. You’re just growing up so fast. Before I know it, you’ll be off doing some magical job like Grayson.” She grabbed my hand and we began to walk to the wall that would lead us out into the muggle world.

“I’ll still come and visit you all the time, mum,” I looked at her through my peripheral vision. Her hair swung back and forth as she walked, dodging the people who shoved through the crowd to get to the exit.

“That’s what Grayson said, but I haven’t seen him since Christmas!” she exclaimed.

“You know I’m not Grayson,” I said. She hadn’t seen Grayson since Christmas? What was he doing that could possibly be more important than visiting his mum? 

“Yes, I know.” We jogged towards the wall and appeared on the muggle platform. “I just- I miss him and am worried about you. I mean someone poisoned you!”

“But I’m fine, mum, and that was ages ago, and I took care of her.” The truth was that I had almost forgotten about the incident with everything else going on.

“Maybe it was ages ago to you, but it seems like it was only yesterday to me,” she muttered. “And you better not have hurt this girl,” she used her authoritative mum voice on me with her hands on her hips.

“Don’t worry, mum, she won’t try anything again,” I laughed, climbing into the car.


	36. Chapter 36

Lizzie’s POV:

The summer holiday turned into mother-daughter bonding. With everything that had happened to me this year, we were both feeling more sentimental, knowing that we could lose each other any moment. She was this way because of the poisoning, me because of Voldemort’s return. I hadn’t told her anything about what had happened after Christmas holiday, being too afraid to, and not wanting to worry her any more than she already was.

We spent our time exploring London, trying to find and go to every little coffee shop the city had to offer. A few times we had gotten lost on the Underground, taking the wrong train and ended up finding new clothing shops or something else interesting.

One particular day, we were took a train to get to the London Eye. I hadn’t ridden it since I was a small child and memories of seeing the entire city (or what felt like it) filled my mind. When we got there, mum let me sip a bit of her champagne when we reached the very top. I felt totally at peace up there. We sat in silence as birds flew by free from any worry. I pictured myself growing a pair of beautiful black wings, leaping off and flying away with them.

Despite all of the fun I had with my mum, I was still feeling quite put down. I hadn’t had one letter from anyone. I had sent out a few myself, to Hermione, Harry, and Draco, but hadn’t had one response. Not even from Draco.

“Mum,” I had asked my mum one day about halfway through the month of June. We were sitting in one of our new coffee shops with walls that were mostly glass, allowing loads of light into the room. The small areas of wall that showed were a gentle blue color, similar to that of the sky. “Do you remember dad?” My question obviously caught her off guard as she began to cough on her last sip of coffee.

“Sorry?” she questioned once she settled back down. 

“Dad. Do you remember him?” I repeated. We have never spoke of my father. Mum never shared, so I never asked. It was a don’t-ask-don’t-tell topic that everyone avoided, but I wanted to ask now that I met the man.

“Of course I remember him. How could I forget?” she looked at the table as if reminiscing about something.

“What was he like?” I questioned, looking down into my drink.

“Well, where do I start?” she laughed lightly. “He was short. That was one big thing. He used to joke about it all the time. And he was kind to me, he was always kind to me.” 

“Why did he leave?” I pictured the man who had approached me at the ball and tried to imagine him with my mother. The two of them just didn’t seem compatible.

“He uh- he wasn’t ready for the responsibility for having kids,” mum’s eyes dropped to her hands that were carefully cradling her coffee.

“But Grayson was almost seven years old, why did he leave when I was born?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered, seeming almost ashamed. We fell into a silence that was broken only by the chatter of the few other customers. 

“I met him,” I whispered.

“What?” her eyes snapped up to meet mine.

“I met him,” I repeated. “Draco’s mum had a Christmas ball and he was there. He’s a wizard, mum. That’s why Grayson and I have powers.” Mum only stared at me. “He’s different. He’s nothing like the man you just described.”

“W-what’s he like now?” she stuttered curiously with caution lacing the edges of her words. I realized for the first time in a long time that she was scared. Of what exactly, I wasn’t sure.

“Cruel. Mum, he was so mean to me,” I said, feeling tears prick at my eyes, seeing the same in my mother’s eyes. I shouldn’t have brought it up. “I’m sorry, mum. I shouldn’t have asked you.”

“No, don’t apologize. I knew you were bound to ask about him eventually, you just caught me off guard.” She smiled slightly and placed her hand on top of mine, rubbing her thumb gently across the back of my hand. I studied her fingers on top of mine. They reminded me of Draco’s. Slender, pale, and delicate, yet strong. 

The fact that Draco hadn’t replied to my letters hurt. I wondered if he had a change of heart about me, causing him to not want anything to do with me. 

I knew that that wasn’t the case somewhere deep inside of me, however. I knew that Draco did care about me and was probably just caught up with some family affair or something of the sort. My mind couldn’t help but wander in his absence, though. 

“Why don’t we head home? This place is getting a bit crowded,” my mum suggested in the silence that followed our short conversation concerning my father. I nodded my head and pushed my chair back behind me.

“That sound’s nice,” I answered her. “But before we go home, could we head to Diagon Alley? I’m running low on parchment.” I had written so many letters (mostly to Draco), that I had already finished up my supply, and couldn’t risk running out should Draco suddenly decide to write back.

“Of course,” mum quipped, standing up after me. Together, we walked out of the coffee shop we had been sitting in. 

Side by side, we worked our way through London to the magical place of Diagon Alley. It had been my first experience of the wizarding world when mum, Grayson, and I went shopping for Gray’s school supplies. Memories of grumbling Gringotts goblins, hooting owls, dull chatter of other wizards, and the click of shoes against the stone brought a peaceful and excited feeling into my body.

“Alright,” mum said once we had stepped through the shifting brick wall, “which shop do you want to go to?” I looked around at all of the people shuffling by. Robes of every color flashed before my eyes. Dull green, worn out brown, bright yellow, dark black.

“Scribbulus Writing Implements,” I responded over the hustle and bustle of the other shoppers. I nodded my head to the right and began to walk to the shop that sold the type of parchment I preferred. Not too rough or thick, not too soft or thin, but right in the middle. 

Scribbulus Writing Implements was a shop I adored. It sold writing supplies such as parchment, quills, and ink, and always smelled of paper. Beside the fact that it was right next to the entrance of Knockturn Alley, it was one of my favorite shops.

The bell on the door jingled softly as I pushed the door open. Only one other person was in the store besides the owner and me and my mum. I recognized her as a third year Slytherin I often saw in the common room. Nodding in greeting to her, I strolled right over to the shelves that displayed the parchment and collected my purchase. My nostrils were filled with the smell of old books and the faint scent of ink nearby. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, enjoying the smell for a moment while my mum inspected some nearby quills.

“Why don’t you guys just use pens?” she whispered to me with a particularly long and fluffy quill in her hand. “It would be so much easier.”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing for ages,” I responded. Probably for the same reason we all wore robes and used owls to communicate, I thought to myself. The wizarding world was very old fashioned. 

I took the stack of parchment to the front counter and made my exchange with small talk between the clerk and me, a middle aged woman with a tag pinned to her navy robes stating Marcella. She was a tall and skinny woman who possessed graying black hair that reached down to her shoulders in loose ringlets.

My mum and I exited the shop once the purchase was complete. The warm air outside was contrasted to that of the cool air we left behind us. 

“Home now?” mum questioned, looking at a pair of young witches skipping past us.

“Yeah. I could use a nap.” My eyes followed the girls into the quidditch shop across the entrance to Knockturn Alley from Scribbulus’. As they disappeared inside and my mum began to walk back to the Leaky Cauldron, my eyes caught a familiar flash of Malfoy blonde. I did a double take, hoping it was Draco, but being slightly disappointed to see Lucius Malfoy, who was gliding down the stone path to Knockturn Alley. His black robes billowed out behind him in the breeze. 

I debated whether I should greet him and possibly get some answers about Draco out of him, but before I could decide, he hurried into a shady looking shop called Borgin and Burke’s. I wanted to know what he was doing there and wanted to know about Draco, but didn’t want to go down the dark alley, so with a glance over my shoulder, I followed my mum out of Diagon Alley.


	37. Chapter 37

Lizzie’s POV: 

For the first time ever, I think, I found myself resenting the summer holiday. As usual, since my mum's a muggle, I didn’t receive any news of the wizarding world. For the entirety of my time away from Hogwarts, I had no clue of the happenings my friends were experiencing. Had Voldemort started attacking? Had the war started? I didn’t know, because everyone refused to write to me.

Every time my mum and I would go out, my eyes would search the crowds around me, trying to spot the witches and wizards to attempt to get any type of news. However, every time, my hopes would remain unfulfilled and since none of my friends were replying to my letters, I was even more discouraged. 

“Any mail for me today?” I slumped down the hall to my mum who was in the kitchen making a batch of pancakes. I had been asking her this same question everyday this summer in the same hopeful yet disappointed tone, and everyday she gave me the same answer in the same sorry voice: ‘No, I’m sorry, honey.” School was going to start back up soon, and I was planning on confronting each and every person as to why they hadn’t replied to my letters at the first chance I got.

“Actually, a rather large owl delivered this just after I woke up.” My mother held up a yellowed envelope in her left hand. I leapt through the air between us and snatched it from her grasp.

Finally! Someone had written me!

I was hoping it was Draco as I flipped it over in my hands and studied it, but my heart felt as if it had been squeezed slightly when I saw the seal on the back, holding the envelope shut. It wasn’t the Malfoy crest stamped there, but the Hogwarts crest. This was only the yearly Hogwarts letter with my school supplies. 

“Oh,” I released the breath I had not realized I had been holding. “It’s just my textbook list.” I set the unopened envelope on the table and sat down begrudgingly. I should have seen that coming, seeing as this was a yearly letter.

“Were you expecting something else?” my mum asked as she flipped the golden pancakes.

“Yeah. I was hoping one of my friends had written me. So far, no one’s bothered to reply.” I leaned my forehead against the table and sighed.

“Well maybe that’s what this is.” My mum’s voice held a knowing tone to it, as if she knew something I didn’t. My head snapped up to see my mother holding up another envelope. This one was significantly smaller than the Hogwarts letter.

“That’s for me?” I asked cautiously.

“You betcha,” she grinned, holding her hand out. I grabbed it gently, as if it were a piece of my heart.

The parchment was soft and so pure, it was almost white. My full name was elegantly scratched onto the front with smooth, black ink. I flipped it over and slid my finger under the flap, peeling it open.

Elizabeth,

Come to Malfoy Manor as soon as possible.

There was no signature or further details. I wondered if Draco had written it, but the use of my full name made me second guess that thought. He only called me Elizabeth when he was angry or acting sarcastic. Otherwise, I was Lizzie or Liz. Sometimes he called me Hufflepuff, but that was rarer than Elizabeth.

“Who’s it from?” My mum placed a plate of pancakes in front of me, a small slab of butter on top.

“Draco,” I murmured in confusion. “He wants me to go to Malfoy Manor as soon as possible.” I realized then that my hands were shaking, the anxiety of the situation reaching my hands.

“Alright. That’s fine with me, as long as you’re home by dinner,” she replied. I looked up to her and furrowed my eyebrows. My mum was usually the woman who wanted to know every single detail of where I was going, when I was going to be home, and who was going to be there. The easiness of her agreement was odd on many levels.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just be good.” She pointed a finger at me sternly. 

“O-okay,” I stuttered.

\---

Two and a half hours later, I was standing at the door of Malfoy Manor, still thoroughly confused. Draco hadn’t written to me all summer, and then asked me to come to his home. 

On the train ride to Wiltshire, I had almost broken down into a full blown panic attack twice. I didn’t know why, but something was bothering me about today. Something just felt wrong.

I lifted my hand to the knocker, but before my hand made contact with the metal, the door opened swiftly. Before me stood Draco. He was wearing a black suit, one of his most common outfits. His hair was swept to the side and shorter than the last time I had seen him. I noticed he had bags under his eyes, blue and dark. He hadn’t slept in a while and it was obvious.

Despite his almost messy appearance, a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I had missed him more than I was aware. 

When I took a step towards him, intending to give him a hug, he took a step back and mouthed the word ‘Go,’ with a terrified look on his face. It was then that I realized something was wrong. My smile disappeared.

“Miss Samuels,” a voice called from behind Draco. He winced and looked at me pleadingly. “How wonderful of you to arrive.” Lucius Malfoy stepped around Draco into my field of vision, a very Malfoy-like smirk on his face. “Why don’t you come in?” My eyes flicked to Draco’s, who was still silently pleading with me. In spite of this, I took a few cautious steps into the Manor.

Once I was fully inside, the door was shut firmly behind me, sealing my fate. 

Now, thinking back, I guess I should have listened to Draco and left as soon as he told me to, but I was too in shock to function.

“Why don’t you join us in my study,” Lucius offered as he swept a hand towards a door to our left. Stiffly, the three of us walked through the large entrance room and into one of the rooms I had never entered in the building. 

My initial thought was dark. The deep, emerald curtains were drawn tightly shut, blocking all potential light from the room. A long wooden table stretched the room, surrounded by elegant looking chairs. A few of the chairs were occupied. 

Narcissa Malfoy sat in one, looking as beautiful and elegant as ever. Lucius took a seat next to her. Another chair was taken up by a woman with wild, black, curly hair and dark eyes, the same woman from the Ministry. Beside her sat the man who I had the unfortunate luck to be related to: my father. At the head of the table sat a man who possessed a striking resemblance to a snake. His grey skin was the color of slimy scales and his nose was reduced to nothing but slits.

“Ah, my dear, you must be Elizabeth,” the man hissed. Even if I had wanted to reply, no words would have come out because my throat felt as if it was being squeezed. “Have a seat.” The man brought up a long hand and gestured to a chair beside Lucius. Draco sat next to his father and I sat beside him. I folded my hands in my lap and stared at them, not wanting to look at anyone in the room.

“Now, where were we? Yes, we were discussing Draco.” I looked at Draco in my peripheral vision. He was sitting similar to me, refusing to look at anyone. “Draco, you are to do the following: you will be my inside source at Hogwarts, sharing with me everything that Harry Potter does; you will find a way to get my Death Eaters into Hogwarts unharmed; and you will kill Albus Dumbledore. You will do this all before the end of your sixth year of schooling or risk your family’s death along with your own. Do you understand?” The man lifted a hand and placed it upon his wand which was sitting on the table in front of him, threatening Draco without saying a word.

Draco’s eyes flitted up to the snake for a split second, but returned to his hands. Without replying, he nodded. 

“Wonderful. Corban? You had something you wished to say?” Voldemort turned to my father, with a sickening grin on his face. My father’s back straightened and his eyes widened. Had I not already met the man, I would have felt bad for him; it was obvious that he was terrified.

“My Lord,” he began roughly, “may I present to you my one, and only daughter, Elizabeth. I offer her service to you in hopes that she may prove herself useful in your rise to power.”

“What?” I blurted out without thinking. My father, who has only ever had one conversation with me, was offering me to the world's darkest wizard. Who did he think he was? 

All of the heads in the room turned towards me, but my eyes were locked on my father. Without breaking eye contact with me, Corban Yaxley spoke to Voldemort.

“I offer her in the hopes that she will be able to assist Draco in the task you have beset him.”

“Elizabeth,” Voldemort spoke my name, causing a shiver to run down my spine, “I believe you must have worked out why you have been summoned here to Malfoy Manor.” My eyebrows furrowed in terror and anger. “No? Well, your father here has offered your services to me and since you attend Hogwarts with Draco, I expect you to aid him.”

“She will take the Dark Mark willingly, my Lord, or we will summon her mother next.” The threat beneath his words stung me to the core. 

The full meaning of the situation was slowly beginning to sink in. I was going to become a Death Eater and help Draco kill Albus Dumbledore, or Voldemort was going to kill my mum.

Tale as old as time,  
Song as old as rhyme,  
Beauty and the beast.


	38. Authors Note

Hello, everyone! 

First of all, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for actually reading this far into my work. I poured my heart and soul into this work and am beyond grateful that someone out there reads it.

Second of all, this fan-fiction is part of a series following Lizzie and Draco. The second work is called Your Grief is My Grief, and if you'd like to what happens to the couple next, you should check it out!

Thank you,

sxctumsempra


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